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Studies in recent years have indicated that supplementing the diet with oat bran may lower cholesterol levels. Intensive advertising and development of new food products have led to a huge increase in oat bran sales. Now, a new study raises questions about oat bran's efficacy.
In a double-blind crossover trial, 20 healthy adults (ages 23 to 49) consumed diets supplemented with either high-fiber oat bran or low-fiber refined wheat products. Both types of supplements were shown to lower total cholesterol levels by 7 to 8 percent, but the oat bran was no better than the low-fiber diet. Indeed, the likely reason why both regimens lowered cholesterol was because the subjects ate less saturated fat and cholesterol while their diets were being supp…