EFFECTS OF INCREASING QUANTITIES OF OAT BRAN IN HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIC PEOPLE

The effects of increasing quantities of oat bran on plasma lipids were examined in 40 hypercholesterolemic men and women. Using a four-by-four Latin-square design, subjects added 30, 60, and 90 g oat bran/d or no oat bran to their usual diet for 1-mo experimental periods. Self-selected background diets remained unchanged and weight did not change significantly. No differences in plasma total or low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol were found. Supplementation of the usual diet with less-than-or-equal-to 90 g oat bran does not appear to significantly lower cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic subjects continuing to follow a diet relatively high in saturated fatty acids.