THE HEALTHY
GEEZER
Question: Can eating oatmeal really lower
your cholesterol or are the cereal companies selling us a story?
Answer: The short answer is yes, oatmeal can
lower your cholesterol. Now for the long answer.
There are two types of fiber, soluble and
insoluble. Soluble fiber is acted upon by the normal bacteria in your
intestines. Insoluble fiber is not digested by the body and promotes regularity
and softens stools.
Wheat bran, whole grain products and
vegetables are good sources of insoluble fiber.
Soluble fiber appears to reduce your body’s
absorption of cholesterol from the intestines.
Oatmeal contains soluble fiber that reduces
your low-density lipoprotein, the “bad” cholesterol that can increase your risk
of heart attacks and strokes. This type of fiber is also found in such foods as
kidney beans, brussels sprouts, apples, pears, barley and prunes.
The American Dietetic Association recommends a
healthy diet include 25 to 35 grams of fiber a day, including both soluble and
insoluble fiber.
(Soluble fiber should make up 5 to 10 grams of
your fiber intake.) However, Americans only consume about half that amount.
There are other foods that work against
cholesterol.
Soy protein, found in such products as tofu,
soy nuts, soy milk and soy burgers, can help lower blood levels of LDL
cholesterol, particularly when it’s substituted for animal protein. Ingesting
25 to 50 grams of soy protein a day lowers LDL cholesterol by 4 percent to 8
percent.
That’s a lot of soy. People with the highest
cholesterol levels seem to benefit the most from soy protein.
Women with breast cancer or who are at high
risk of breast cancer should consult with their doctors before eating a soy,
because it is not clear how these plant estrogens might affect them.
Studies have shown that walnuts can
significantly reduce cholesterol levels in the blood. Rich in polyunsaturated
fatty acids, walnuts also may help keep blood vessels healthier and more
elastic.
When walnuts represent 20 percent of the
calories in a cholesterol-lowering diet, they reduce LDL cholesterol by 12
percent.
Almonds appear to have a similar effect. All
nuts are high in calories, so use them as replacements for high-calorie foods
with high levels of saturated fats.
Omega-3 fatty acids in fish are noted for
lowering triglycerides, another form of fat in your blood. They also benefit
the heart in other ways. The highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids are in
mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon.
Other good sources of omega-3 fatty acids
include flaxseed, walnuts, canola oil and soybean oil.
Some foods are fortified with plant substances
called sterols or stanols, which are similar in structure to cholesterol; this
helps them block the absorption of cholesterol in the intestines.
Margarines and orange juice that have been
fortified with plant sterols can help reduce LDL cholesterol by more than 10
percent.
The American Heart Association recommends
foods fortified with plant sterols only for people who have high levels of LDL
cholesterol.
You may want to try eating more soluble fiber,
soy protein, walnuts and fatty fish. The next step would be the addition of
foods fortified with plant sterols. Eating a combination of these
cholesterol-lowering foods increases the benefit.
Of course, if you’re a geezer and you plan to
make a change in your habits that could affect your health, it is recommended
that you consult your doctor first.
If you have a question, please write to
fred@healthygeezer.com
All rights reserved.
© 2008 by Fred Cicetti.