Issue Date: February 10, 2008
Heart-wise oats get an added boost
Sometimes it seems that no sooner has a health claim been announced than it is withdrawn. But a decade after the Food and Drug Administration granted approval for claims about the health effects of oats, the science is stronger than ever.
So says new research published in the "American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. "
"Oatmeal, specifically, acts to lower blood cholesterol and reduce hardening of the arteries and risk of a heart attack," says study co-author James W. Anderson, M.D., a professor of medicine and clinical nutrition at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, who has reviewed 15 years of studies. "Regular intake of oatmeal has an important effect on lowering blood cholesterol."
Other whole grains provide health benefits, but only oats and barley are proven to lower cholesterol, he says. Oats also reduce the risk for high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and weight gain.
Anderson's top two heart-healthy foods are soy and oats because both lower cholesterol and blood pressure. That's why he fixes himself a bowl of instant oatmeal each morning and tops it with 2/3 cup of soy milk.
Don't feel like cooking a pot of oatmeal? Eat a food that contains whole-grain oats or oat bran.
-- Peggy J. Noonan
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