A powerful tool for your heart might already be hiding in the back of your pantry.
New research suggests that a short-term diet centered almost exclusively on a cheap, healthy breakfast staple can significantly lower cholesterol levels in just two days.
Better yet, the benefits were still there six weeks later — even after the participants returned to their typical Western diets.
That’s no small thing.
Cholesterol is essential for making hormones, forming cells and other vital bodily functions — but too much “bad” LDL cholesterol can be dangerous, building up in the bloodstream and forming waxy deposits on artery walls.
Over time, those deposits harden into plaques that narrow blood flow, forcing the heart to work harder and starving organs of oxygen. If a plaque ruptures, it can trigger a blood clot that blocks an artery, potentially causing a heart attack or stroke.
For the study, researchers at the University of Bonn in Germany recruited 32 men and women.
All the participants suffered from metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors including excess body weight, high blood pressure and elevated blood glucose and blood lipid levels. Together, these problems raise the risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.
The researchers split the participants into two groups, with one instructed to eat oatmeal three times a day for two days. The oats were boiled in water, with the addition of small amounts of fruit or vegetables allowed.
In all, these participants ate about 300 grams of oatmeal per day and consumed roughly half their usual calories.
The other participants also reduced their calorie intake, but were told not to eat oats.
The researchers found that while both groups benefited from cutting calories, the oat-based diet packed a much bigger punch.
Among these participants, blood and stool samples showed that their LDL cholesterol levels had dropped by roughly 10% in just 48 hours.
On average, they also lost about 2 kilograms — roughly 4.5 pounds — and their blood pressure dipped slightly.
“That is a substantial reduction, although not entirely comparable to the effect of modern medications,” Dr. Marie-Christine Simon, a junior professor at the Institute of Nutritional and Food Science at the University of Bonn, said in a statement.
Statins are considered the frontline treatment for reducing cholesterol production in the liver, with the drugs cutting levels by up to 55%.
However, their effectiveness varies widely. And research shows that many people who could benefit from the drugs aren’t taking them.
That’s a major problem.
Across the country, about 86 million Americans ages 20 and older have total cholesterol levels over 200 mg/dL, which is considered borderline high, according to the CDC.
About 25 million of them have high cholesterol over 240 mg/dL, often considered a symptomless “silent killer” that significantly increases the risk of serious long-term health problems.
“A short-term oat-based diet at regular intervals could be a well-tolerated way to keep the cholesterol level within the normal range and prevent diabetes,” Simon said.
When scientists took a closer look, they found that oats affected cholesterol via changes they made in the stomach.
“We were able to identify that the consumption of oatmeal increased the number of certain bacteria in the gut,” said Linda Klümpen, the lead author of the study.
These bacteria digest oats and release byproducts, some of which make their way into the bloodstream and influence certain bodily functions.
“It has already been shown in animal studies that one of them, ferulic acid, has a positive effect on cholesterol metabolism,” Klümpen said. “This also appears to be the case for some of the other bacterial metabolic products.”
At the same time, she explained, other microorganisms “disposed of” the amino acid histidine. The body otherwise turns this into a molecule that is suspected of promoting insulin resistance — the primary driver of Type 2 diabetes.
The benefits appeared strongest when large amounts of oats were eaten over a short period alongside calorie restriction — not when smaller portions were spread out over time.
When researchers had participants eat 80 grams per day with no calorie limits, the effect on their cholesterol was minimal.
By contrast, those who ate almost nothing but oats for two days saw their lower cholesterol levels hold steady six weeks later.
“As a next step, it can now be clarified whether an intensive oat-based diet repeated every six weeks actually has a permanently preventative effect,” Simon said.
