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It Works Both Ways

An effective way to lower blood cholesterol recognized by the United States FDA! Oat-beta glucans, an active ingredient in oat soluable fiber and present in small amounts in other related grains, has been clinically proven to lower bad cholesterol.

A randomized trial resulted in researchers finding that the soluable fiber beta-glucans from oats significantly reduced LDL cholesterol levels in high risk patients. A non-starch polysachride found in oats has been drawing more and more interest in the scientific community.

The online publication Nutritional Journal reported a study stating that a daily dose of just 6 grams of oat beta-glucan taken daily for 6-weeks significantly reduced total and LDL cholesterol. They say this is significant since 50% of all deaths in Europe are the result of cardiovascular diseases associated with hypercholesterolemia.

Additionally, research at the University of Minnesota, lead by Joanne Slavin, performed trials on 75 healthy volunteer men and women with elevated cholesterol levels. They randomly chose some to take a 6-gram dose of either beta-glucan or dextrose. Blood tests were performed previous, during, and after the trial and were analyzed for total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides, glucose, insulin, homocystine, and c-reactive protein. They reported that there was a significant reduction of 0.3 mmol/L in both total cholesterol and LDL.

"The decrease in LDL cholesterol as a result of concentrated oat beta-glucan administration is large enough to be clinically relevant," they wrote. "A 0.26 mmol/L increase in LDL cholesterol results in a 12 per cent increase in risk of CVD." They did not report any other significant changes in glucose, insulin, homocystine, or c-reactive proteins.

"Thus, a practical dose of oat beta-glucan can significantly lower serum lipids in a high-risk population and may improve colon health," they said. "Based on these positive results," the researchers concluded, "concentrated oat beta-glucan would be suitable as a "stand-alone" supplement for cholesterol reduction."

"This product could also be used as a food ingredient to increase fiber content of food," wrote Slavin and co-workers. "When incorporated into minimally processed, low-fat food, concentrated oat beta-glucan is hypothesised to retain its hypocholesterolaemic effects."

A Healthy Skin Component

Scientists have also been interested in oat beta-glucan due to its capabilities of penetrating deep into the skin. Oats have a long history of use as part of skin care and dermatology applications. History has shown its ability to significantly moisturize the skin and provide a film which is more potent than pure glycerine in absorbing and delivering moisture.

It has also been used as a moisturizer in burn units and for the treatments of other skin diseases, boils, hives, and irritants. It speeds up healing of shallow burns and abrasions. It is one of the number one recommended treatments for chicken pox sores. It also seems to stimulate wound healing by stimulating collagen deposition, activate immune cell responses, and decrease infections.

Just recently around 2005, researchers began looking to it in hopes of finding a wrinkle and aging treatment application. Dr. Pillai and his collegues published their findings in the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists. They investigated the skin penetrating properties and moisturizing effects and after 8 hours of treatment as much as 4% of the serum entered the space between the lower dermis and upper dermis, thus plumping and erasing wrinkle lines.

The validity of the research remaining have been in question due to the nature of the samples the doctors used in the study. However, Dr. Pillai and his collegues repeated their tests on 27 live human panalists. The controlled study (that done with a placebo) showed that at 8 weeks, the treated areas fared significantly better than those with the placebo. The wrinkles and roughness diminished by between 10 and 15%. Skin firmness also increased.

More research needs to be done on oats and their soluble fiber oat beta-glucan to discover all its hidden secrets. However, you can find a dose of oat beta-glucan in each scoop of Delicious Greens 8000 product. You can either drink it for its heart healthy properties, or try using it as a face mask to firm and smooth skin. Either way, you're bound to see the benefits of oat beta-glucan.