Effect of Oat Bran Consumption on Total Serum Cholesterol Levels in Healthy Adults

The effect of oat bran on total nonfasting serum cholesterol levels in healthy adults was studied. Twenty volunteers whose cholesterol levels were greater than 200 mg/dl consumed 3 ounces of oat bran daily for 93 days in addition to their normal dietary intake. Rescreenings were conducted at days 31, 62, and 93. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed no significant difference in total serum cholesterol levels over the four consecutive screenings (a = 0.05, p = 0.054), although ANOVA for polynomial trends revealed a significant difference in total serum cholesterol levels across time (a = 0.05, p = 0.007) (quadratic effect). The interaction of gender with time revealed no significant difference. Thus, it is concluded from this study that daily addition of oat bran to the diet does not significantly lower total cholesterol levels for a sustained period of time.