How Oat Beta-Glucan Lowers LDL and May Affect PFAS Levels

I think beta-glucan powder may be a powerful tool for increasing the detoxification of some of the chemicals and toxins we are exposed to, including methylmercury and forever chemicals. As additional benefits, it may improve the gut microbiome, increase regulatory T cells, and lower LDL cholesterol. It sounds like a win-win-win.

Animal studies provide evidence that oat beta-glucans can increase the excretion of PFAS, or forever chemicals. The proposed pathway involves bile-acid reabsorption. Reducing bile-acid reabsorption increases fecal bile-acid excretion, which increases the amount of material eliminated in feces. This is also one mechanism by which LDL cholesterol can be lowered.

Human studies have found that beta-glucans derived from oats can lower LDL cholesterol by about five to seven percent. That is a meaningful effect for a naturally occurring dietary compound. Beta-glucans are also very good for the gut microbiome. Human studies have shown that beta-glucans can increase regulatory T cells. These cells are important for helping the immune system recognize the body’s tissues and organs as self rather than foreign, and they play an important role in preventing autoimmune disease.

Beta-glucans are a type of prebiotic, fermentable fiber. They are found in oats, and mushrooms are another source of soluble fiber. I personally eat organic overnight oats with organic chia seeds about four times per week.

If you want to increase the dose, you might try beta-glucan powder derived from oats. Studies reporting a five-to-seven-percent LDL-lowering effect used about three grams per day.

I am connecting the dots here. I think that the excretion of methylmercury and PFAS will probably be accelerated if you reduce bile-acid reabsorption and therefore increase fecal excretion. We have human studies showing that this mechanism lowers cholesterol. Animal studies show that beta-glucans increase the fecal excretion of PFAS. The same general elimination route is involved in methylmercury excretion. That is my view on how to increase methylmercury detoxification.

I am going to look at the live-chat questions for a moment. I see people asking about steel-cut oats, oat bran, and oat milk. Quickly absorbed instant oats can have a higher glycemic index, so I would choose steel-cut or whole oats to avoid a large glucose response.

Oats do not naturally contain gluten, so people with celiac disease should be able to eat oats because oats do not contain gliadin, the wheat protein that causes the problem for people with celiac disease.

I do not think beta-glucans are present in oat milk because beta-glucans are part of the oat fiber, and much of that fiber is removed when oat milk is made. You need to eat whole oats or use a beta-glucan powder. People supplement with beta-glucan powder as a source of soluble fiber to support the gut. My argument is that it may also lower LDL cholesterol and increase the excretion of chemicals such as PFAS and methylmercury that leave through the feces.

I think microplastics may fit into this picture as well. Animal studies suggest that only a small fraction of ingested microplastics passes through the intestinal epithelium and reaches the bloodstream. Increasing fiber intake may decrease what is absorbed.

Insoluble fiber, such as the fiber in vegetables, helps move material through the digestive tract more quickly. Soluble, fermentable fiber such as beta-glucan forms a viscous material around the epithelial cells lining the intestines. This viscous material may act as a barrier that makes it more difficult for microplastics and nanoplastics to cross.

I am convincing myself as I speak that I should probably add beta-glucan supplementation to my regimen. I eat overnight oats about four times per week, but three grams of beta-glucan per day is a large amount, and I am not getting that dose from my oats, even though they are still beneficial. I am considering beta-glucan powder for myself and my family.

A study published in the last couple of weeks found forever chemicals in fruits and vegetables. The contamination was more common in conventional produce, but organic produce can also be contaminated because farms can be close to conventional farms. Strawberries, peaches, plums, grapes, and other fruits that children eat were contaminated with PFAS, and the chemicals could not simply be rinsed off because they were within the food.

It is upsetting that people are not better protected from these compounds. Many families cannot afford organic produce and do not know about these data. They are doing an important thing by feeding their children fruits and vegetables, but they may also be exposed to forever chemicals.

I think beta-glucan powder may be a useful tool for increasing the elimination of chemicals such as methylmercury and PFAS. It may also support the gut microbiome, increase regulatory T cells, and lower LDL cholesterol.

People in the chat are asking how to use the powder and which brand to choose. I have not started supplementing with it, so I do not know about brands. I usually look for third-party testing. Many third-party-testing services evaluate products such as prebiotic fibers.

You would use beta-glucan powder as you would another supplemental fiber, such as psyllium husk. Many people, including my husband, use supplemental fiber, particularly when traveling. I think I may swap psyllium husk for beta-glucan powder because beta-glucan may offer several benefits.