Cholesterol-Lowering Effects of Certain Grains and of Oat Fractions in the Chick.

Abstract

The plasma cholesterol-lowering activity of whole ground wheat, barley, oats and corn was studied in chicks fed hypercholesterolemic diets. All but corn showed some cholesterol-lowering effect. When oat fractions were studied, it was found that oat hulls were most effective, whereas oat starch and oat oil had no cholesterol-lowering activity. Liver lipid and cholesterol were also significantly reduced by whole oats and oat hulls, and, to a lesser extent, by dehulled oats. In contrast to observations made with pectin or scleroglucan in earlier experiments, fecal lipids and sterols were not increased by the feeding of whole oats or oat hulls.