Cholesterol-Lowering Effect of Dietary Fiber

A systematic review 1 including 67 controlled trials with a total of 2,990 subjects was abstracted in DARE. There were 25 trials of oat products, 17 of psyllium, 7 of pectin, and 18 or guar gum. Soluble fibre (2 - 10 G/day) was associated with small but statistically significant decreases in total cholesterol (-0.045 mmol/L per gram soluble fibre, 95% CI -0.054 to -0.035) and LDL cholesterol (-0.057 mmol/L per gram soluble fibre, 95% CI -0.070 to -0.044). The effects of different fibres were not significantly different. As an example, 3 servomgs of oatmeal (28 grams of soluble fibre each) can decrease total and LDL cholesterol approximately 0.13 mmol/L.

Another systematic review 2 on psyllium-enriched cereals including 11 studies with a total of 404 subjects was abstracted in DARE. Participants who ate a psyllium cereal had lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol concentrations than subjects who ate the control cereal (mean difference in TC -0.31, 95% CI -0.37 to -0.25) and in LDL-C -0.35, 95% CI -0.40 to -0.29). The HDL cholesterol levels were unchanged.

References

• Brown L, Rosner B, Willett WW, Sacks FM. Cholesterol-lowering effects of dietary fiber: a meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr 1999 Jan;69(1):30-42. [PubMed][DARE]
• Olson BH, Anderson SM, Becker MP, Anderson JW, Hunninghake DB, Jenkins DJ, LaRosa JC, Rippe JM, Roberts DC, Stoy DB, Summerbell CD, Truswell AS, Wolever TM, Morris DH, Fulgoni VL 3rd. Psyllium-enriched cereals lower blood total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, but not HDL cholesterol, in hypercholesterolemic adults: results of a meta-analysis. J Nutr 1997 Oct;127(10):1973-80. [PubMed] [DARE]