🥷 A Sneaky Trick To Lower Cholesterol (Via Your Gut!)

You might be bored of hearing this (assuming you’ve heard me mention it a couple of times)...but in 2018 I was shocked to find out I had high cholesterol.

But there was one cholesterol busting ninja I added to my breakfast bowl that was my secret weapon to help me lower my LDL cholesterol: beta-glucans, the unsung heroes in oats and barley. 

The Science: Beta-glucans vs. bile acids 

Your liver makes bile acids to digest fats, using cholesterol as the raw material. 

After bile does its job, 95% gets recycled back into your liver…like a disgusting internal car wash. Here is where beta-glucans enter the fray:

1. Beta-glucans (from oats for example) form a gel in your gut, trapping bile acids like flies in honey.

2. Forced cholesterol withdrawal: With bile acids pooped out (yes, pooped), your liver panics and yanks cholesterol from your blood to make more bile.

3. LDL levels plummet: Studies show 3g/day of beta-glucans (≈1.5 cups oats) lowers LDL by 6–10%; no prescription required (caveat: if you are on cholesterol lowering medication this is not a permission slip to stop that; they are super effective!)

Gut microbes: The hidden sidekicks you didn’t know you had

Beta-glucans aren’t just bile bandits, they also double as prebiotics. Your gut bugs feast on them, producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that block cholesterol production in the liver and boost “good” HDL cholesterol, the body’s garbage truck.

Think of beta-glucans as one of the lords of fibers: fermentable, fancy, and weirdly effective.

Actionables: How to beta-glucan like a pro

Forget chugging psyllium husk like it’s 1999. 

Sneak beta-glucans into your diet with:

🥣 Breakfast:

• Overnight aats: ½ cup rolled oats + chia seeds + berries = 3g beta-glucans.

• Smoothie hack: Add 2 tbsp oat bran. Tastes like nothing, works like a charm.

🍲 Lunch/dinner:

• Savory Oatmeal: Cook oats in broth, top with fried egg and chili oil. Chef’s kiss.

• Barley: Swap rice for barley in soups. It’s like rice’s healthier, chewier cousin.

🍪 Snacks:

• DIY granola: Bake oats with nuts and a drizzle of honey. 

Important points!

• Dose matters: Hit 3g/day. 

• Patience, my grasshopper: It takes 4–6 weeks to see LDL dips. This isn’t a microwave meal.

• Teamwork wins: Pair with exercise and unsaturated fats (avocados, nuts). Beta-glucans aren’t solo artists…you do need to do other helpful things too!

P.S If you want an even deeper dive into gut health, specifically the gut-brain axis…check out this podcast episode:

P.P.S If you enjoyed reading this…I want you to send this to one person you feel would benefit from learning more about gut health or those little critters living inside us!

Here’s the subscribe link for them (or you if this was sent to you!):