Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

Oat bran rapidly increases bile acid excretion and bile acid synthesis: an ileostomy study

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 61, pages 938–945 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To study whether oat bran with native β-glucans increases bile acid excretion and bile acid synthesis as measured by serum concentrations of 7α-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one (7α-HC).

Design:

Short-term interventional crossover study evaluating cholesterol absorption, ileal excretion of cholesterol and bile acids, and serum levels of cholesterol and bile acid metabolites. Differences between diets evaluated with Wilcoxon's signed rank-sum test.

Setting:

Outpatients at a metabolic-ward kitchen.

Subjects:

Nine volunteers with conventional ileostomies.

Methods:

Two 3-day-diet periods, with controlled, blinded basal diet including 75 g extruded oat bran breakfast cereal daily, with either 11.6 g native or hydrolysed β-glucans.

Results:

Native oat bran increased median excretion of bile acids by 144% (P=0.008). Cholesterol excretion remained unchanged, cholesterol absorption decreased by 19% (P=0.013), whereas the sum of bile acid and cholesterol excretion increased by 40% (P=0.008) compared with hydrolysed oat bran. 7α-HC reflecting bile acid synthesis increased by 57% (P=0.008) within 24 h of consumption, whereas serum lathosterol concentration reflecting cholesterol synthesis increased by 12% (P=0.015).

Conclusions:

Oat bran with native β-glucans increases bile acid excretion within 24 h of consumption and this increase can also be detected by rising serum concentrations of 7α-HC. Thus, 7α-HC could be used for rapid detection of dietary effects on bile acid metabolism. These effects could possibly be explained by entrapment of whole micelles in the gut owing to higher viscosity.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andersson H, Bosaeus I (1993). Sterol balance studies in man. A critical review. Eur J Clin Nutr 47, 153–159.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Andersson M, Ellegård L, Andersson H (2002). Oat bran stimulates bile acid synthesis in 8 h as measured by 7a-hydroxy-4-cholestene-3-one. Am J Clin Nutr 76, 1111–1116.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Axelson M, Aly A, Sjövall J (1988). Levels of 7alfa-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one in plasma reflect rates of bile acid synthesis in man. FEBS Lett 239, 324–328.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Beer MU, Arrigoni E, Amad R (1995). Effects of oat gum on blood cholesterol levels in healthy young men. Eur J Clin Nutr 49, 517–522.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Beer MU, Wood PJ, Weisz J, Fillion N (1997). Effect of cooking and storage on the amount and molecular weight of (1–3)(1–4)-beta-D-glucan extracted from oat products by an in vitro digestion system. Cereal Chemistry 74, 705–709.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Björkhem I, Miettinen T, Reihner E, Ewerth S, Angelin B, Einarsson K (1987). Correlation between serum levels of some cholesterol precursors and activity of HMG-CoA reductase in human liver. J Lipid Res 28, 1137–1143.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bosaeus I, Belfrage L, Lindgren C, Andersson H (1992). Olive oil instead of butter increases net cholesterol excretion from the small bowel. Eur J Clin Nutr 46, 111–115.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bosaeus IG, Andersson HBO (1987). Short-term effect of two cholesterol-lowering diets on sterol excretion in ileostomy patients. Am J Clin Nutr 45, 54–59.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bosaeus IG, Carlsson NG, Sandberg AS, Andersson H (1986). Effect of wheat bran and pectin on bile acid and cholesterol excretion in ileostomy patients. Hum Nutr Clin Nutr 40C, 429–440.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bosner MS, Lange LG, Stenson WF, Ostlund RE (1999). Percent cholesterol absorption in normal women and men quantified with dual stable isotopic tracers and negative ion mass spectrometry. J Lipid Res 40, 302–308.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brown L, Rosner B, Willett W, Sacks FM (1999). Cholesterol-lowering effects of dietary fiber: a meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr 69, 30–42.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen JC (1999). Contribution of cholesterol 7alfa-hydroxlase to the regulation of lipoprotein metabolism. Curr Opin Lipidol 10, 303–307.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Connor WE, Witiak DT, Stone DB, Armstrong ML (1969). Cholesterol balance and fecal neutral steroid and bile acid excretion in normal men fed dietary fats of different fatty acid composition. J Clin Invest 48, 1363–1375.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dietschy JM, Turley SD, Spady DK (1993). Role of liver in the maintenance of cholesterol and low density lipoprotein homeostasis in different animal species, including humans. J Lipid Res 34, 1637–1659.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ebihara K, Schneeman BO (1989). Interaction of bile acids, phospholipids, cholesterol and triglyceride with dietary fibers in the small intestine of rats. J Nutr 119, 1100–1106.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ellegård L, Bosaeus I (1991). Sterol and nutrient excretion in ileostomists on prudent diets. Eur J Clin Nutr 45, 451–457.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ellegård L, Bosaeus I, Andersson H (1994). Cholesterol absorption and excretion in ileostomy subjects on high-and low-dietary-cholesterol intakes. Am J Clin Nutr 59, 48–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellegård L, Bosaues I, Andersson H (2000). Will recommended changes in fat and fibre intake affect cholesterol absorption and sterol excretion? An ileostomy study. Eur J Clin Nutr 54, 306–313.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Furda I (1990). Interaction of dietary fiber with lipids – mechanistic theories and their limitations. In Furda I, Brine CJ (eds). New Developments in Dietary Fiber – Physiological, physicochemical and analytical aspects. Plenum Press: New York; Adv Exp Med Biol 270, 67–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gallaher DD, Hassel CA, Lee KJ, Gallaher CM (1993). Viscosity and fermentability as attributes of dietary fiber responsible for the hypocholesterolemic effect in hamsters. J Nutr 123, 244–252.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grundy SM, Ahrens EH (1969). Measurements of cholesterol turnover, synthesis and absorption in man, carried out by isotope kinetic and balance methods. J Lipid Res 10, 91–107.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grundy SM, Ahrens EH, Salen G (1971). Interruption of the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids in man: comparative effects of cholestyramine and ileal exclusion on cholesterol metabolism. J Lab Clin Med 78, 94–121.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kesäniemi YA, Ehnholm C, Miettinen TA (1987). Intestinal cholesterol absorption efficiency in man is related to apoprotein E phenotype. J Clin Invest 80, 578–581.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lairon D (1996). Dietary fibres: effects on lipid metabolism and mechanisms of action. Eur J Clin Nutr 50, 125–133.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lia Å, Hallmans G, Sandberg AS, Sundberg B, Åman P, Andersson H (1995). Oat beta-glucan increases bile acid excretion and a fiber-rich barley fraction increases cholesterol excretion in ileostomy subjects. Am J Clin Nutr 62, 1245–1251.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mälkki Y, Autio K, Hanninen O, Myllymäki O, Pelkonen K, Suortti T et al. (1992). Oat bran concentrates: physical properties of beta-glucan and hypocholesterolemic effects in rats. Cereal Chemistry 69, 647–653.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mansbach CM, Cohen RS, Leff PB (1975). Isolation and properties of the mixed lipid micelles present in intestinal content during fat digestion in man. J Clin Invest 56, 781–791.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marlett JA, Hosig KB, Vollendorf NW, Shinnick FL, Haack VS, Story JA (1994). Mechanism of serum cholesterol reduction by oat bran. Hepatology 20, 1450–1457.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McCleary BV, Mugford DC (1997). Determination of beta-glucan in barley and oats by streamlined enzymatic method: summary of collaborative study. J AOAC Int 80, 580–583.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miettinen TA (1982). Gas liquid chromatographic determination of fecal neutral sterols using a capillary column. Clin Chim Acta 124, 245–248.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nestel PJ, Havenstein N, Homma Y, Scott TW, Cook LJ (1975). Increased sterol excretion with polyunsaturated-fat high-cholesterol diets. Metabolism 24, 189–198.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reihnér E, Björkhem I, Angelin B, Ewerth S, Einarsson K (1989). Bile acid synthesis in humans: regulation of hepatic microsomal cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity. Gastroenterology 97, 1498–1505.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sandberg AS, Andersson H, Hallgren B, Hasselblad K, Isaksson B (1981). Experimental model for in vivo determination of dietary fibre and its effects on the absorption of nutrients in the small intestine. Br J Nutr 45, 283–294.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sauter GH, Berr F, Beuers U, Fischer S, Paumgartner G (1996). Serum concentrations of 7alpha-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one reflect bile acid synthesis in humans. Hepatology 24, 123–126.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Swedish National Food Administration (2001). Food Composition Tables. Energy and Nutrients 2002, 5th edn. SLV: Uppsala, Sweden.

  • Tappy L, Gügolz E, Würsch P (1996). Effects of breakfast cereals containing various amounts of beta-glucan fibers on plasma glucose and insulin responses in NIDDM subjects. Diabetes Care 19, 831–834.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Törrönen R, Kansanen L, Uusitupa M, Hänninen O, Myllymäki O, Härkönen H et al. (1992). Effects of an oat bran concentrate on serum lipids in free-living men with mild to moderate hypercholesterolaemia. Eur J Clin Nutr 46, 621–627.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vahouny GV, Tombes R, Cassidy MM, Kritchevsky D, Gallo LL (1980). Dietary fibers: V. binding of bile salts, phospholipids and cholesterol from mixed micelles by bile acid sequestrants and dietary fibers. Lipids 15, 1012–1018.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang JX, Hallmans G, Andersson H, Bosaeus I, Åman P, Tidehag P et al. (1992). Effect of oat bran on plasma cholesterol and bile acid excretion in nine subjects with ileostomies. Am J Clin Nutr 56, 99–105.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Gothenburg Medical Society, Grant Number 91/00, the Swedish Board for Agricultural Research, Grant Number 50.0444/98, the Swedish Medical Society, Grant Number 2002-405 and the Sahlgrenska University Hospital under the LUA agreement. Oat bran cereals were kindly provided by Finn Cereal Ltd, Vantaa, Finland through the courtesy of professor Yrjö Mälkki. We are grateful for the valuable discussions with Professor Yrjö Mälkki during the preparation of this study. The expert technical assistance by Vibeke Malmros is greatly appreciated.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Nutrition, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Göteborg, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden

    L Ellegård & H Andersson

Authors
  1. L Ellegård
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. H Andersson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to L Ellegård.

Additional information

Guarantor: L Ellegård.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ellegård, L., Andersson, H. Oat bran rapidly increases bile acid excretion and bile acid synthesis: an ileostomy study. Eur J Clin Nutr 61, 938–945 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602607

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602607

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links