How Does Oatmeal Reduce Cholesterol in the Blood?
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High Cholesterol and the Body
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High cholesterol levels affect many adults. High cholesterol, which can be detected through a blood test, can lead to many serious health conditions, including heart attack, stroke and high blood pressure. This is because high cholesterol can cause plaque to build up in arteries over time. Though medication is available to lower blood cholesterol levels, a change in diet can often derail mild to moderately high cholesterol in many adults. Oatmeal is one of the foods most prescribed by doctors to patients with high cholesterol.
Oatmeal's Benefits
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Oatmeal contains a high concentration of soluble fiber. This type of fiber has many health benefits. This heart-healthy fiber is capable of absorbing a large amount of liquid. When liquid is absorbed by the fiber, that fiber thickens and travels more slowly through the digestive tract than a lower-fiber food. Because the oatmeal is traveling more slowly through the system, it coats the walls of the intestines and attaches to the bile acids in the digestive tract. These acids are then carried out of the body by the fiber when it is excreted as waste.
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How Oatmeal Affects Cholesterol Levels
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The bile acids in the intestines contain a high concentration of LDL cholesterol, which is the type of cholesterol that causes buildup in the arteries. Because oatmeal is so rich in soluble fiber, it is able to absorb much more bile acid than the average food that passes through the intestines. This, in turn, removes more bile acid from the body before the cholesterol in the acid can be absorbed into the bloodstream through the intestinal walls. The LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol levels are lowered in the bloodstream.
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