Do beans and oat bran add to the effectiveness of a low-fat diet?
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine whether increasing soluble fiber intake via oat bran or beans could improve cholesterol profiles in hypercholesterolemic individuals on a low-fat diet.
Results Summary
Oat bran and beans did not significantly lower plasma cholesterol or LDL-C but increased HDL-C and improved the LDL-C to HDL-C ratio. Body weight and overall diet composition remained unchanged.
Population
40 free-living hypercholesterolemic men and women.
Effective Dosage
55 g low-fiber oat bran, 55 g high-fiber oat bran, or 80 g mixed cooked beans daily.
Duration
6 weeks per intervention.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
consuming an increased amount of soluble fibre as oat bran or beans | neutral | - | 40 free-living hypercholesterolaemic men and women | - | were examined | #1 |
55 g low-fibre oat bran, 55 g high-fibre oat bran or 80 g mixed cooked beans | neutral | - | subjects | - | were added to their diet | #2 |
low-fat background diet with added oat bran or beans | no change | body weight | subjects | - | did not change | #3 |
low-fat background diet with added oat bran or beans | no change | overall composition of the diet | subjects | - | did not change | #4 |
low-fat background diet with added oat bran or beans | no change | plasma cholesterol | subjects | - | were unchanged | #5 |
low-fat background diet with added oat bran or beans | no change | low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) | subjects | - | were unchanged | #6 |
all three intervention diets | increase | high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) | subjects | - | was significantly higher | #7 |
supplementation of a moderately low-fat diet with palatable quantities of oat bran or beans without changing the overall fat intake | no change | cholesterol | - | - | does not appear to significantly lower | #8 |
supplementation of a moderately low-fat diet with palatable quantities of oat bran or beans without changing the overall fat intake | increase | HDL-C | - | - | may have a benefit by increasing | #9 |
supplementation of a moderately low-fat diet with palatable quantities of oat bran or beans without changing the overall fat intake | decrease | the ratio of LDL-C to HDL-C | - | - | may have a benefit by reducing | #10 |
The effects of consuming an increased amount of soluble fibre as oat bran or beans were examined in 40 free-living hypercholesterolaemic men and women. The subjects were initially established on a low-fat background diet (29% of energy from fat) and then 55 g low-fibre oat bran, 55 g high-fibre oat bran or 80 g mixed cooked beans were added to their diet in random order for 6 week periods. Body weight and overall composition of the diet did not change. Plasma cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were unchanged. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was significantly higher on all three intervention diets than on the lower fibre run-in diet. Supplementation of a moderately low-fat diet with palatable quantities of oat bran or beans without changing the overall fat intake does not appear to significantly lower cholesterol but may have a benefit by increasing HDL-C and reducing the ratio of LDL-C to HDL-C.