Investigation of the Potential of Porridge as a Hypocholesterolaemic Agent

Fifty eight male and 10 female free living volunteers were paired in two groups based on similar cholesterol levels. Each individual in one group ate 43 g of oatmeal daily in the form of porridge, over the period January 31 to March 15, while the corresponding individuals in a control group ate 43 g of cornflakes daily. Serum cholesterol levels and ∝-lipoprotein fractions were measured twice at 3-week intervals during the experiment and no significant differences were found between the groups. Gain in weight of volunteers was minimal during the experiment with an increase of 0.5 kg per person for males on cornflakes, and 1 to 1.5 kg per person for females on porridge. The results suggest that porridge did not have a hypocholesterolaemic effect in the quantities consumed for the time period of this experiment.