Is there really any proof that oatmeal lowers your cholesterol more than any other no cholesterol food?

I am with you that merely substituting other less healthy breakfast foods for oatmeal may be the operating element of lowering your cholesterol. I did find this snippet on the current school of thought regarding oatmeal…

“It is thought that the oat fibers in oatmeal mix with cholesterol in the small intestine, then bind to the cholesterol molecules and carry it out of the body—instead of it being absorbed into the blood. ”

I can’t stand the stuff but eat it anyway for the purported health benefits!

@Cruiser I just think it is more of an assumption that the mechanism works that way, rather than necessarily being fact. When I significantly lower my cholesterol intake my cholesterol drops like a rock, no matter what the food is. Although, I guess it is possible it would even go lower if I ate more fiber. I just question the studies and the rule of thought on it. I remember learning about the largest study to date supposedly regarding colon cancer. It showed no difference in colon cancer regarding fiber, even though people are still saying fiber helps lower your chances.

Kind of a tangent, but we should also consider whether avoiding cholesterol and lowering our cholesterol levels is actually beneficial. It’s one of those cases where industry puts its greasy mitts into research.

According to the Mayo Clinic, oatmeal and oat bran contain soluble fiber that lowers your LDL cholesterol. They are not the only thing that does so (some fruits, and beans do to), but it is considered an easy thing to integrate into one’s diet.

@incendiary_dan your link comes up as a 404 page. I’m interested in reading the article, can you provide the name?

@tranquilsea This would be a good start, and lots of articles on that site about cholesterol are enlightening.

@zenvelo I am just curious to know what studies the mayo clinic is using? My example ofnthe medical community being wrong is Hormone Replacement Therapy for women. Doctors gave out those pills like candy saying how it was great to avoid heart disease amd bone loss, and then when they finally did a better study they stopped it before they could complete the study because so many more women had heart attacks, and we already knew it might increase cancer risk. Nothing so dire with oatmeal of course, I don’t think oatmeal will harm anyone. My only point is, just because the medical establishment decides something is beneficial, does not mean we should not question how they came to the conclusion, and if it is even valid. Quaker Oats makes some money off of the claim also, not sure if it pays into the equation at all? I don’t know if Quaker sponsored any of the studies, but I wonder.

@incendiary_dan I am interested in that argument, but would prefer to not go into it on this particular Q. I know I put this in social, I didn’t want it overmodded, I may have mistaken to choose that.

@JLeslie Here are the European findings.

@zenvelo So that showed basically any of the high fiber grains was helpful. Thanks for the link.

The effect is not huge but it is reliable and substantiated. Many other factors are involved.