Oat vs. wheat

17. August 2007 William Davis (7)
Here's a fascinating 2002 study by Dr. Brenda Davy and colleagues at Colorado State University that examined the NMR lipoprotein differences between a diet enriched in oats and one enriched with wheat. (Davy BM, Davy KP, Ho RC et al. High-fiber oat cereal compared with wheat cereal consumption favorably alters LDL-cholesterol subclass and particle numbers in middle-aged and older men. Am J Clin Nutr 2002; 76:351-358.)

36 sedentary, overweight men (average BMI around 30--obese), aged 50-75 years, were given a diet enriched with either oat bran (as oatmeal and oat bran, providing 5.5 grams of beta-glucan) or wheat (as a hot cereal or Frosted Mini-Wheats), with equivalent calories in each group. All underwent baseline NMR lipoprotein analysis.

Three months later, there were no differences in "anthropometrics" like weight, waist size, or BMI (though there was a trend towards larger waistlines in the wheat group). The NMR lipoprotein analysis was repeated.



Comparison of the lipoprotein changes revealed:

--LDL cholesterol: Down 2.5% with oats, up 8.0% with wheat.

--LDL particle number: Down 5% with oats, up 14.2% with wheat.

--Small LDL: Down 17.3% with oats, up 60.4% with wheat.

--Triglycerides: Down 7.6% with oats, up 22.0% with wheat.



The across-the-board differences between the wheat and oat effects were astounding. In particular, note the extraordinary effect on small LDL particles: wheat triggered a 60% increase.

Similar studies yielding similar results have been conducted elsewhere, including Dr. Ronald Krauss' group at University of California-Berkeley.

Now, this was a study conducted under the somewhat artificial circumstances of a study. But imagine this sort of habitual intake continues, not for just three months, but for years. After all, wheat has expanded and metastasized to all three meals, snacks, every day, 7 days a week in most Americans' diet.

What a wonderfully graphic representation of the undesirable effects of wheat products. When you see Mini-Wheats, Shredded Wheat, whole grain bread, whole wheat bread, whole wheat crackers, Raisin Bran, and the thousands of other wheat-containing products that promise health, run the other way. Grab some oat bran on the way out.
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Comments (7) -

  • Anonymous

    8/17/2007 8:07:00 PM |

    Dr Davis,

    I can highly recommend Nairns Oatcakes if you want another, and its quite a tasty  way,  way to eat oats. They replace english muffins and crackers in my diet.

    Best,
    Jim

  • mill

    8/21/2007 10:58:00 PM |

    Dr Davis
    I took fish oil (6/day) and red rice yeast for several months and my cholestral score went up a few points tp 278. I had a CTScan done and have palque (stage 2). I really don't want to take Lipitor etc because of side effects. any suggestions???

  • Dr. Davis

    8/22/2007 2:05:00 AM |

    The Track Your Plaque website, www.trackyourplaque.com, is devoted to answering that question. You're welcome to take a look and see if it's right for you.

  • Anonymous

    11/15/2007 3:55:00 PM |

    My husband and I are both in our
    50's and have incorporated lots of wheat in our diets, which we thought was wonderful for us but now we have our doubts, we feel we had been getting too much! We have switched to oats and reduced our
    gluten intake by 75%. We feel less gasy, bloated and more energy. Any other baby boomers bloated?  
    overwheated in Wisconsin.

  • Kym

    10/11/2008 10:27:00 AM |

    Regardless, both oats and wheat are healthy. One should not stick to just one. Smile

  • Peter

    9/9/2009 9:20:29 AM |

    I started adding lots of oat bran to my oatmeal after you pointed out that it's an excellent cholesterol lower.  I became anemic.  I read that oat bran can interfere with iron absorption, so I discontinued the oat bran and the anemia went away.

  • buy jeans

    11/2/2010 8:45:39 PM |

    Now, this was a study conducted under the somewhat artificial circumstances of a study. But imagine this sort of habitual intake continues, not for just three months, but for years. After all, wheat has expanded and metastasized to all three meals, snacks, every day, 7 days a week in most Americans' diet.

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Vitamin D and HDL

Vitamin D and HDL

19. August 2008 William Davis (23)
Despite the paucity of scientific documentation of this phenomenon, I am continuing to witness extraordinary increases in HDL cholesterol levels with vitamin D supplementation.

I've touched on the interaction of vitamin D supplementation with HDL in The Heart Scan Blog previously:

Vitamin D: Treatment for metabolic syndrome?

HDL for Dummies


At first, I thought it was attributable to other factors. In real life, most people don't modify one factor at a time. They reduce
processed carbohydrates/eliminate wheat and cornstarch, lose weight, add or increase omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil, begin niacin, increase exercise and physical activity. All these efforts also impact on HDL.

Among the many things I do, I consult on complex lipid (cholesterol) disorders (complex hyperlipidemias) in my office. A substantial number of these people carry a diagnosis of hypoalphalipoproteinemia, a mouthful that simply means these people are unable to manufacture much apoprotein A1, the principal protein of HDL cholesterol particles. As a result, people with hypoalphalipoproteinemia have HDL cholesterol levels in the neighborhood of 20-30 mg/dl--very low. They are also at high risk for heart disease and stroke.

Encourage these people to exercise, attain ideal weight, eliminate wheat and cornstarch: HDL increases 5 mg/dl or so.

Add niacin, HDL increases another 5-10 mg/dl.

Perhaps we're now sitting somewhere around an HDL of 35-40 mg/dl--better, but hardly great.

Add vitamin D to achieve our target serum level . . . HDL jumps to 50, 60, 70, even 90 mg/dl.

The first few times this occurred, I thought it was an error or fluke. But now that I've witnessed this effect many dozens of time, I am convinced that it is real. Just today, I saw a 40-year old man whose starting HDL was 25 mg/dl increase to 87 mg/dl.

Responses like this are supposed to be impossible. Before vitamin D, I had never witnessed increases of this magnitude.

Not all therapies for raising HDL raise the important large (also known as HDL2b) fraction. With lipoprotein analyses, it appears that is principally the large fraction of HDL that rises with vitamin D supplementation.

Why? How?

That I can't tell you. But for those of you struggling with low HDL cholesterols despite your best efforts, vitamin D can make a world of difference.

An interesting corollary: If super-high HDL cholesterols are associated with extreme longevity, as they are with centenarians, does raising HDL to extraordinary levels with vitamin D lead to longer, healthier life, all the way up to age 110 years?

Again, no answers, but an interesting thought. And one I'd bet on. (And I'm not selling vitamin D.)
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Comments (23) -

  • Stargazey

    8/19/2008 3:31:00 AM |

    If you don't mind, how much Vitamin D do these people take? Do they take it in divided doses or all at once?

  • arnoud

    8/19/2008 4:33:00 AM |

    Dr. Davis, very exciting info!  
    Could you comment on the typical time lag seen in improved HDL as a response to vitamin D supplementation?

  • Anonymous

    8/19/2008 11:34:00 AM |

    How do your observations jive with research showing that vitamin D inhibits apo-A1, which appears to confer greater protection against heart disease than HDL?

    Wehmeier K, Beers A, Haas MJ, Wong NC, Steinmeyer A, Zugel U, Mooradian AD (2005). "Inhibition of apolipoprotein AI gene expression by 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3". Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1737 (1): 16–26. PMID 16236546.

  • Missbossy

    8/19/2008 11:35:00 AM |

    You might not be selling vitamin D... but these guys are!

    For Vitamin D, Drink Schlitz!

    Perhaps you could work this into your daily vitamin protocol...

  • Shreela

    8/19/2008 12:48:00 PM |

    I just noticed that I've been taking a Vit D and fish oil gel cap every time I read one of your posts about them, to make up for my 'forget' days 8^)

  • Stephan

    8/19/2008 4:26:00 PM |

    Just wanted to say thanks for your observations, that's very interesting.  Maybe someone will catch on and do a clinical trial.  Perhaps vitamin D will be the long-awaited HDL-raiser.  

    Hopefully some drug company will create an analog they can patent.  Just kidding.

  • Anonymous

    8/20/2008 12:41:00 AM |

    Because I have high LP(a)I take Niacin,exercise,mostly lean meats and veg/fruit diet. I have kept acurate blood draw records since 2002.Starting HDL was 50,had risen to mid 60's by 2007. Added 2000mg Vitamin D oil base gel caps 07 and 08. Last blood draw HDL was 85. I know it worked for me. It had no affect on LP(a)unfortunately remaining at 30 - 40. Thanks Dr Davis for making this known on your blog, it should help many.

  • The Girl

    8/20/2008 2:48:00 AM |

    I have HDL of 103, how common is this? I can't find much information about HDL levels this high...

  • Anonymous

    8/20/2008 12:07:00 PM |

    Missbossy -- funny! Yeah, a comedian (?) used to joke that he took vitamins with his beer so that while he was tearing himself down he was also building himself up. Smile

    I have been taking 6000 units Vit D3 daily to achieve measured blood vitamin D level (25-OH-vitamin D3) of 60 ng/ml.  Your mileage may vary.

  • Stuart Buck

    8/20/2008 2:23:00 PM |

    What about getting some sunshine?  Does that work?

  • Anonymous

    8/20/2008 3:13:00 PM |

    I'm also interested in your response regarding  vitamin D inhibiting apo-A1. It appears contrary to improved HDL.

    In my own case, vitamin D hasn't done anything for my HDL. I started with a D level at 21 and my HDL has hovered in the 27-34 range. Raised my D levels to 54, and my HDL sunk near the low point of 27

    I also had my Apo A1 tested separately, but my doctor isn't entirely sure how to read the data. My Apo A1 is in the reference range provided by the lab, although a bit towards the lower end. I have no way in determining if it's truly decent or not though.

  • Anonymous

    8/21/2008 2:19:00 PM |

    I started with a "D" level of 17 and an HDL of 63, started taking "D" supplements and raised my "D" level to exactly 60 and my HDL went down to 56.

  • Anonymous

    8/22/2008 2:27:00 AM |

    I too started with a low HDL of 35, added Vitamin D3, 3-4,000iu/daily and my HDL went to 71! I am a firm believer of Vitamin D>

  • Anonymous

    10/20/2008 7:44:00 AM |

    I'd like too see a reference to published research linking D3 supplementation to greater HDL.  I think D3 does have anti-atherosclerotic properties - despite what it does at a high dose.  When high doses are given to animals on a high fat diet, vitamin D3 actually induces atherosclerosis.  This is a common model for atherosclerosis in the lab which might account for why so many doctors seem to have missed the clinical benefits for D3 in heart disease.  Since D3 induces self-tolerance (partly via IL-10) and atherosclerosis has recently been described as an autoimmune condition caused by underfunctional regulatory T-cells, at a normal dose D3 probably has a protective effect against atherosclerosis.

  • Avon

    6/4/2009 7:11:31 PM |

    I would appreciate if anyone can help answer as to what is the daily dosage(in I.U's) of Vitamin D required to have an effect on raising the HDL number?

  • Anonymous

    9/10/2009 5:29:02 PM |

    I was actually trying to google why my HDL is so high and what it means (110 and double checked two years in a row), my LDL is 68.  I'm 47, walk 2.5 miles 4 or 5 days a week but other then that not sure what I'm doing.  I take a womens one a day vitamin and a caltrate.

  • Helene

    4/4/2010 6:15:35 PM |

    I found this web site because I was looking for an explanation why my HDL level jumped to 115 from a 2-year earlier level of 97.  My diet is the same, year round.  The only thing different is the increased amount of vitamin D (1400 IU/daily).  I have been diagnosed with osteopenia and the doctor suggested increasing my calcium and vitamin D intake. Conversely, my LDL is 79.

    Helene

  • RufusG

    8/27/2010 8:34:36 AM |

    Lack of exposure to sunlight, and therefore lack of Vitamin D, is implicated in over 60 illnesses.
    - including Heart health

    More at:

    www.grassrootshealth.net
    www.vitamindcouncil.org
    www.vitamindwiki.com
    www.vitamindandcholesterol.com

    I have posted a Personal Action Plan that explains testing and dose size at:

    www.rufusgreenbaum.com
    - see Downloads

    .

  • buy jeans

    11/3/2010 2:26:25 PM |

    The first few times this occurred, I thought it was an error or fluke. But now that I've witnessed this effect many dozens of time, I am convinced that it is real. Just today, I saw a 40-year old man whose starting HDL was 25 mg/dl increase to 87 mg/dl.

  • mobani

    12/11/2011 5:21:36 PM |

    I have ahistory of consistently lower HDL, around 30. In my recent blood test, it is idicated that my Vit D level is also low (22.6 ng/ml). I have been taking D-3 2000 IU. I n reecnt months  may have taken it irregularly. A month ago, I had the blood test and the same old results. I am not sure if I took D-3 daily. I will start taking it regularly for two months and do the test again. Do I need to raise the dose to 4000 IU instead of 2000/day? I jog every other day for 40 minutes. Diet consists of very low fat, and also take fish oil caaplets daily.
    My reecnt blood test results:
    Fasting cholesterol = 152 mg/dL
    HDL cholesterol = 32 (L)
    LDL cholesterol = 84
    Total Cholesterol / HDL ratio = 4.8 Cool
    TGL = 180 Cool
    Non-HDL cholesterol = 120

    I also have a throat problem. I do get clear mucus secretion in throat abnormally. Constantly spit out. Allergy medicine helps a bit but does not go away. I do not know if these three problems have  a common root. Any suggestions??? Appreciate your help.

  • mobani

    12/11/2011 5:33:32 PM |

    Interesting! How is this going now? I am looking for a solution like that. My posting added to the blog today is as follows:
    mobani says:

    December 11, 2011 at 11:21 pm


    I have ahistory of consistently lower HDL, around 30. In my recent blood test, it is idicated that my Vit D level is also low (22.6 ng/ml). I have been taking D-3 2000 IU. I n reecnt months may have taken it irregularly. A month ago, I had the blood test and the same old results. I am not sure if I took D-3 daily. I will start taking it regularly for two months and do the test again. Do I need to raise the dose to 4000 IU instead of 2000/day? I jog every other day for 40 minutes. Diet consists of very low fat, and also take fish oil caaplets daily.
    My reecnt blood test results:
    Fasting cholesterol = 152 mg/dL
    HDL cholesterol = 32 (L)
    LDL cholesterol = 84
    Total Cholesterol / HDL ratio = 4.8 Cool
    TGL = 180 Cool
    Non-HDL cholesterol = 120

    I also have a throat problem. I do get clear mucus secretion in throat abnormally. Constantly spit out. Allergy medicine helps a bit but does not go away. I do not know if these three problems have a common root. Any suggestions??? Appreciate your help.

  • Dr. William Davis

    12/14/2011 2:51:04 AM |

    Please read the vitamin D posts here, Mobani, and you will see that we achieve 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels of 60-70 ng/ml. Then wait about two years and HDL generally shows its full rise.

  • John Cross

    11/13/2013 5:22:19 AM |

    You may have reflux; 20% of reflux suffers don't get heartburn; feels like congestion. I know, I'm one of the 20%.

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Heart scans know no race

Heart scans know no race

27. March 2008 William Davis (0)
The New England Journal of Medicine just published a new analysis of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) database authored by Dr. Robert Detrano of University of California-Irvine.

As we would expect, the study confirmed the ability of heart scans and coronary calcium scoring to predict heart attack. This study is unique, hovever, in including Hispanics, Chinese Americans, and African Americans in its 6722 participants.

The analysis confirmed that coronary calcium scores yielded similar information, regardless of race. It confirmed that people with a zero heart scan score had a nearly zero risk of cardiovascular events; it also confirmed that higher scores (e.g., >300) yielded much greater risk over the 4 years of observation: 7.73-fold greater risk for people with scores 101-300; 9.67-fold greater for scores >300.

One of the media reports on the study can be viewed on HeartWire

Bill Sardi's Knowledge of Health website and blog also has an insightful commentary.

To those of us who have used heart scans in thousands of people, the MESA results come as no surprise, having seen these phenomena played out every day in real life. Although similar results have been previously shown in a number of other smaller studies, Detrano's analysis of MESA does serve to further validate these concepts. It also serves to deliver the message more broadly into the mainstream media message.

No surprise whatsoever: Coronary calcium scores obtained through heart scans represent a measure of the disease--coronary atherosclerosis--itself. It is not a risk factor that may or may not be associated with development of coronary atherosclerosis. Thus, when heart scan scores are held up in comparison the cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, c-reactive protein, or any other risk measure, heart scan scores outshine all these measures by enormous margins as predictors of your future.

Want to know what your uncorrected heart disease future could be? Consult your heart scan score. Not your cholesterol panel.


Copyright 2008 William Davis, MD
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Report from Washington II

Report from Washington II

16. July 2006 William Davis (0)
Today's discussions at the Society for Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) focused on atherosclerotic "plaque characterization".

As CT scanners get better and better at imaging the various components of plaque, some fascinating issues emerge:

--CT heart scans provide insights into what exactly is contained in an individual's atherosclerotic plaque that are not often provided even during heart catheterization. In other words, CT heart scanning is, in many instances, superior to heart catheterization, since it provides images of the artery wall, not just the internal contents.

--Progression (i.e., increase) in heart scan score is a powerful predicter of heart attack risk. Dr. Matthew Budoff of UCLA argued persuasively that the annual rate of increase in score is probably the most accurate measure of risk available, superior to cholesterol and calculated measures like the Framingham risk score.

--Coronary calcium scoring remains the best method to gauge total plaque throughout the entire coronary tree. In a person free of symptoms, the risk of a cardiac "event" (heart attack, death, procedures) is low and additional imaging (like CT angiography) is generally unnecessary.


Dr. Budoff, among the true thought leaders in CT heart scanning, also recounted his perspective on the history of heart scans. He noted that the questions asked through the years have evolved:




1995-2000 Should we do coronary calcium scans?

2000-2002 Do high or low risk patients benefit from coronary calcium scoring?

2003-2004 What is the better scanner, EBT or MDCT?

2006 How often should we perform coronary calcium imaging?


I believe that Dr. Budoff summarizes wonderfully where the Track Your Plaque programs fits into the overall scheme of things: Serial (repeated)CT heart scans to gauge progression or reversal is the wave of the future. We shouldn't just be interested in identifying persons at risk for heart attack. We should also be interested in showing the person at risk exactly how to reduce or eliminate that risk.
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The Plavix Scam

The Plavix Scam

12. April 2007 William Davis (3)
Periodically, I'll see a flurry of TV ads for Plavix. It comes with a polished computer-animated cartoon that shows how platelets clump and form a blood clot, causing heart attack.

Imagine there's a pile of oil-soaked rags in a corner of your garage. I come by and tell you to get a good fire extinguisher to keep next to the rag pile in case they spontaneously ignite.

Does that make sense to you?

Wouldn't it be better to get rid of the oily rags and forget about the fire extinguisher?

Plavix is the fire extinguisher. The oil rags are your coronary plaque. The solution is to gain control over plaque behavior. Unfortunately, the TV ads (intentionally, I suspect) give the impression that blood clots just form out of the blue for no reason. Of course that's not true. It requires active, growing, inflamed atheroslcerotic plaque that ruptures, uncovering the "angry" and platelet-adhering material underneath the thin covering or endothelial lining.

Urging everybody to take Plavix is absurd. The TV ads urge many people who have no business taking the drug to take it. There are, without a doubt, groups of people who are better off taking Plavix and aspirin: people who are in the midst of heart attack, people who have unstable plaque, people with recent stents or bypass. Perhaps people at high risk for plaque rupture, e.g., extensive coronary plaque that has continued to grow.

These tactics are consistent with the experiences I've had with the sales representatives from the company (when I used to actually talk to sales reps; my office is now barred from them). The reps very aggressively would urge me to consider having everyone take Plavix. No kidding.


For us, i.e., for people who just have a heart scan score but interested in engaging in a powerful program of prevention and reversal, Plavix rarely provides any advantage. The answer is, just like our oily rag analogy, control the plaque, not put out the fire.
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Comments (3) -

  • Moderator Mike

    4/12/2007 11:23:00 PM |

    Fantastic blog!  Just what I was searching for when I found you via a blog directory (BlogFlux).

    Question though....where is the "Track Your Placque" website that accompanies this blog?

    Thanks.

  • Dr. Davis

    4/12/2007 11:44:00 PM |

    Mike--

    The website address is:

    www.trackyourplaque.com

    Dr. Davis

  • buy jeans

    11/2/2010 7:38:35 PM |

    These tactics are consistent with the experiences I've had with the sales representatives from the company (when I used to actually talk to sales reps; my office is now barred from them). The reps very aggressively would urge me to consider having everyone take Plavix. No kidding.

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