A new study indicates that oat consumption may increase the presence of intestinal bacteria that produce phenolic compounds that help metabolize cholesterol.
An intensive oat-based diet, followed for just two days, managed to reduce “bad” cholesterol (LDL) by up to 10% in a small clinical trial, with effects still detectable six weeks after participants returned to their usual diet.
The , published in the journal Nature Communications, points to a possible role of intestinal bacteria in explaining this effect.
The research involved 32 adults with metabolic syndrome — a condition associated with excess weight, high blood pressure and high blood sugar levels, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Of these participants, 17 followed for 48 hours a low-calorie diet composed almost exclusively of rolled oats: three meals a day with 100 grams of oats cooked in water, with only small amounts of fruit and vegetables added, without salt or sugar. The control group also maintained a low-calorie diet considered “healthy”, but without oats. Both groups reduced their caloric intake by about half during the trial period.
At the end of the two days, the group that consumed oats showed an average drop of 8% in total cholesterol and around 10% in LDL, a greater reduction than that observed in the control group. Participants also recorded slight weight loss and small reductions in blood pressure. Although the researchers emphasize that the effect is smaller than that of drugs such as statins in high doses, the result is relevant from a nutritional point of view, says the .
The main novelty of the study lies in the proposed biological explanation. Analysis of stool and blood plasma samples indicated that the oat-based diet increased presence of certain intestinal bacteria capable of producing phenolic compounds during digestion. One of these compounds, ferulic acid, had already demonstrated positive effects on cholesterol metabolism in animal studies. The team also tested a byproduct of this process, dihydroferulic acid, which appears to reduce cholesterol storage.
The researchers also carried out a second trial, in which volunteers consumed 80 grams of oats per day for six weeks without other dietary restrictions. Although some benefits were observed, the effect was not so fast not as marked as on the 48-hour intensive diet.
Although promising, the results are preliminary and limited to people with metabolic syndrome.
