Cholesterol is a fatty substance produced by the liver. It is also found in foods we eat that come from animals, such as poultry, seafood, beef and dairy products. Cholesterol has a number of important jobs, including the production of certain hormones as well as the breakdown and digestion of fat. However, sometimes our bodies have too much cholesterol, and this becomes a problem. The extra cholesterol can eventually damage and clog arteries.
So how do oats work?
Think of rolled oats as tiny sponges that soak up cholesterol and carry it from your body. Experts believe that it’s the soluble fiber found in oats that helps reduce blood cholesterol levels. How? In simple terms, oat soluble fiber (beta glucan) helps control blood cholesterol by binding some of the cholesterol in your digestive tract. This cholesterol is “trapped” and removed from your body naturally. It is thought that the oat fibers in Oatmeal will mix with cholesterol in the small intestine, then bind to the cholesterol molecules and carry it out of the body -- instead of it being absorbed into the blood.
The soluble fiber in oats helps remove low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or "bad" cholesterol, while maintaining the good cholesterol that your body requires. In January 1997, the Food and Drug Administration announced that Oatmeal could carry a label claiming it may reduce the risk of heart disease when combined with a low-fat diet. The US government published the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans in January 2005. One of the new guidelines recommends that all adults eat half their grains as whole grains - that's at least 3 servings of whole grains such as oats and whole wheat a day. Soluble fiber is also found in such foods as kidney beans, apples, pears, psyllium, barley and prunes.