Consumption of oat milk for 5 weeks lowers serum cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in free-living men with moderate hypercholesterolemia

The aim of this study was to investigate whether consumption of a newly developed oat milk deprived of insoluble fiber would result in lower serum cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in men with moderate hypercholesterolemia. The study had a randomized, controlled double-blind design, and oat milk was compared with an identically flavored control drink. Sixty-six men were recruited from a screening program and were randomly assigned to two groups. Each group took either oat milk or a control drink (rice milk) for 5 weeks (0.75 liters/day) and then switched to the other drink regimen for another 5-week period with a 5-week washout period between the test periods. The oat milk contained more dietary fiber, especially β-glucan (0.5 g/100 g), than the control drink (< 0.02 g/100 g). Both drinks were well appreciated and got similar sensory evaluation, indicating that the double-blind design had been attained. In the final analysis 52 subjects remained. Compared with the control drink, intake of oat milk resulted in significantly lower serum total cholesterol (6, p = 0.005) and LDL cholesterol (6, p = 0.036) levels. The decrease in LDL cholesterol was more pronounced if the starting value was higher (r = -0.55, p < 0.001). The concentration of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was not significantly different after consumption of the two drinks. Serum triglycerides did not change significantly after intake of oat milk, but a significant increase was observed after intake of the control drink (p = 0.003). It is concluded that also oat milk deprived of insoluble fiber has cholesterol-reducing properties. Copyright (C) 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel.