Researchers studying the health effects of oat and barley fibre hope their findings will prompt Health Canada to recommend the grains as part of a heart smart diet.
The high blood cholesterol study at the universities of Calgary and Toronto uses oat and barley fibre in the form of concentrated beta glucan.
“The hope is that Health Canada as well as the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in the United States will accept that the fibre supplement when used in foods lowers cholesterol significantly,” said Ellen Burgess, head of the Calgary research team.
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“If they accept that, the next step is to get food manufacturers interested in the product and add it to their cookies, cereals or breads.”
The FDA recognized the health benefits of beta glucan last December, but Canada has not.
The success of the study may also raise the profile of barley, changing it from just a popular prairie cattle feed to part of a nutritious diet plan for those with high cholesterol or who are at risk for heart disease.
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance made in the body and is found in animal food such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy products. It is carried in the blood and when levels are too high, some of the cholesterol is deposited on the walls of blood vessels, reducing blood flow.
Cholesterol tests look at low density lipoprotein cholesterol, or LDL, also called bad cholesterol, which can build up on artery walls and increase heart disease risk. The lower the LDL cholesterol number, the better. High density lipoprotein cholesterol, or HDL, is often referred to as good cholesterol.
The study recruited 100 people in Calgary and 100 in Toronto and put them on a low fat diet for a month. Participants were required to have LDL cholesterol levels measuring four or higher.
Participants whose LDL cholesterol was still too high after a month on the diet were randomly sorted into five groups.
The control group received a fibre supplement of corn and wheat, two received an oat-derived beta glucan at two dose levels and the others received a barley-derived beta glucan in two dose levels.
Participants received a meusli type cereal, cookies, nutrition bars and packets of sprinkles that can be mixed with juice or food to obtain the additional beta glucan fibre. They needed to have one of the products at each meal as supplemental fibre.
“On average when people go on a proper low fat diet they will lower their cholesterol by about 15 percent,” Burgess said. “Some people are not going to lower it very much at all, whereas other people will have significant results.”
Previous data showed people can receive about three grams of beta glucan by eating enough oats or oat bran, which should lower cholesterol by about five percent. However, it was realized better results could be achieved if the fibre was more concentrated.
“When you eat a whole grain like oats, only five percent of the grain is actually beta glucan, so you need to eat an awful lot of the grain in order to get three grams or ideally, more like nine grams where you should get a 15 to 20 percent reduction in cholesterol,” said Burgess.
Researchers are measuring other side benefits because previous studies showed people who eat high fibre diets were able to lower blood pressure. As well, the study is looking at inflammation in the body.
“There has been a big focus on inflammation as an important part of the process of hardening of the arteries and having heart attacks,” she said. “Usually, but not always, when you lower cholesterol in people you also lower the markers of inflammation.”
A report is expected by the end of the year.
