Abstract
A randomized double blind study was conducted on 36 adult Japanese men (averaged age: 40 years old) withboundary and mild hypercholesterolemia to clarify the effect of oatmeal on the serum cholesterol and the safety of its long-term intake. The subjects were randomly divided into 2 groups. The oatmeal group was given the oatmeal porridge containing 45g oatmeal (1.6g β-glucan) each once a day for 12 weeks, and the control group was given the control porridge containing white rice and cellulose as the substitute for oatmeal. As a result, the level of serum total cholesterol (TC) in the control group tended to increase as compared to the front period of ingestion (p=0.053). The level of serum TC in the oatmeal group did not change, and was significantly lower than that in the control group throughout the ingestion period (p<0.05). From the results of physiological and biochemical examinations, and the check of subjective symptoms, there was no negative effect in the group given oatmeal porridge except for loose feces. These results indicate that oatmeal containing β-glucan can modulate the level of serum TC and is safety food.
