Effect of oatbran on mild hyperlipidaemia

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether adding 60 g oatbran per day to a low saturated fat, low cholesterol diet has any additional effect of lowering serum lipids. DESIGN: A double blind, prospective, randomised, placebo controlled crossover study. SETTING: Lipid clinic in a teaching hospital. SUBJECTS: Thirty-seven subjects (16 men, 21 women) with serum cholesterol of 5.5-8.0 mmol/L were recruited from staff and medical clinics. All subjects were aware of their hyperlipidaemia and no subject was previously treated with lipid lowering agents. INTERVENTIONS: After an eight-week diet period subjects were randomised to receive two muffins per day containing either 60 g of oatbran or the equivalent amount of fibre from wheatbran in a double blind crossover study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Measurement of lipids, lipoproteins and biochemical parameters at the end of each eight-week period. RESULTS: Mean serum lipid levels at the end of the oatbran and wheatbran periods were significantly different from each other only for low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (oatbran, 4.67 mmol/L; SD, 0.85; and wheatbran, 4.95 mmol/L; SD, 0.81; P < 0.01), the LDL/HDL (high density lipoprotein) ratio (oatbran, 3.68; SD, 1.25; and wheatbran, 4.01; SD, 1.25; P < 0.001) and apoprotein B (oatbran, 1.03 g/L; SD, 0.21; and wheatbran, 1.08 g/L; SD, 0.19; P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Oatbran fibre is more effective than wheatbran fibre in lowering cholesterol in subjects with mild hyperlipidaemia who are already on a low saturated fat, low cholesterol diet.