A recent trial conducted by Arizona State University has found that consuming refined corn flour and corn bran in foods can lower LDL cholesterol by up to 13%.
The trial aimed to compare the impact of wholegrain corn meal, its refined iteration and a blend of corn meal and corn bran — finding that the blend impacted cholesterol levels the most.
It looked at the impacts of such a dietary change on 36 participants, who all had raised LDL cholesterol levels at the beginning of the trial.
Researchers also aimed to test the true impacts of these ingredients by encouraging participants to continue their normal diet, giving a more realistic picture of how corn flour consumption can benefit the average person.
They found that when the participants consumed the blend of corn bran and corn flour, 70% of the cohort saw reductions in LDL cholesterol levels compared with their baseline.
The findings didn’t reveal any significant changes to the diversity of the gut microbiota, though an increase in Agathobaculum was seen during the whole-grain corn meal phase.
“The increase in Agathobaculum could be due to the greater diversity of polyphenols found in whole grain corn, which has the highest antioxidant capacity when compared to wheat, oats, and rice,” said Corrie Whisner, lead researcher and Associate Professor in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University.
“While the influence of whole grains on the microbiota varies from person to person, we know that fibres in whole grins can be fermented by microbes into butyrate, and both fibre and butyrate are associated with a healthy gut.”
“People often think that dietary changes must be robust and significant to have a real impact on cardiovascular health and metabolic regulation,”added Corrie. “Making use of corn bran to regulate cholesterol levels is a quick and easy change consumers can make to boost their health.”
Reference
1 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022316624003420?via%3Dihub