Effect of an Oat Bran Enriched Diet on the Atherogenic Lipid Profile in Patients with an Increased Coronary Heart Disease Risk

Aim: To study whether an oat bran enriched diet has a specific effect in lowering total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterols, in addition to caloric and fat restriction. Methods: We performed a randomized, controlled, parallel-group, single-centre study in which 1,994 patients from the Wehrawald Hospital (Todtmoos, Germany) were screened and 235 met the criteria male gender, hypercholesterolemia, and overweight. All patients in the Wehrawald Hospital took part in a 4-week standardized inpatient lifestyle health program consisting of dietary intervention, increased physical activity, and health education. Caloric restriction, fat modification, and oat bran supplementation were part of the nutritional regimen within the lifestyle health program. Ninety-nine patients were randomized to a fat-modified diet with caloric restriction and a daily intake of 35–50 g oat bran and 136 patients to a fat-modified, oat bran-free diet with caloric restriction. Fifty-three male overweight but normocholesterolemic subjects were selected as controls. Results: The most significant decreases in total cholesterol (–67.7 ± 37.2 mg/dl; p < 0.01), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (–56.3 ± 35.1 mg/dl; p < 0.01), and apolipoprotein B (–42.4 ± 34.1 mg/dl; p < 0.01) were found with the combination of the fat-modified and oat bran enriched food. Conclusions: Added to a fat-modified diet, oat bran within a practical range of intake significantly reduces total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B. These beneficial effects occurred independent of covariables such as physical activity or caloric and fat restriction in the diet.