[Updated May 10, 2018]
You’ve probably heard oats helps lower cholesterol, which is due to their beta-glucan soluble fiber that makes oatmeal sticky. A new British Journal of Nutrition review of 58 clinical trials on oats that involved 3,974 people across the globe expands the role of oatmeal in reducing cardiovascular risk. Not only did an average daily intake of 3.5 grams of soluble fiber from oats reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol by 4.2%, it also reduced other markers of bad cholesterol, grouped as non-HDL cholesterol (all potentially harmful types), by 4.8% and the protein on these particles, apoB, by 2.3% compared with control interventions. A standard -cup serving of uncooked rolled oats provides 2 grams of soluble fiber.
TO LEARN MORE: British Journal of Nutrition, Oct. 2016