2-Day Diet Slashes Cholesterol Levels and Helps You Lose Up to 2kg

A simple "two-day diet" could help you lower cholesterol and even shed excess weight. According to studies, this way of eating can reduce bad, low-density lipoprotein, or LDL cholesterol by up to 10 per

cent, with the benefits lasting up to six weeks. High cholesterol levels cause plaque buildup, also known as atherosclerosis in your arteries, narrowing them and restricting blood flow, which significantly increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes, coronary artery disease, and peripheral artery disease. It also forces the heart to work harder, contributing to high blood pressure, and can lead to clots if plaque ruptures, blocking blood flow entirely. While if you have high cholesterol, you may receive medication, changes to your diet can also be effective in controlling levels.

What is a two-day diet?

According to a new study published in the journal Nature Communications, eating oatmeal porridge could help you keep cholesterol under control. Especially those who follow a low-calorie plan based mainly on oatmeal for two days experienced a lasting reduction in LDL. According to the study, the reduced cholesterol readings stayed consistent for six weeks after the two-day eating plan. Medical News Today has explained that LDL levels fell by 10 per cent and participants lost approximately two kilos each. Experts believe that even though the decrease was compared to what the medication can give you, it is still significant, as there are no side effects. Throughout the study, two experimental groups of volunteers were given different oat-based diets.

How was the study conducted?

The two groups had volunteers who exhibited signs of metabolic syndrome, which included high blood pressure, elevated blood fat levels, increased glucose readings, and excess body weight. Scientists assigned the first group a two-day diet centered around oats. They ate nothing but porridge, which was cooked in water three times daily. Their portions were also accompanied only by small amounts of fruit or vegetables. The quantity included 300 grams of oats daily across the two-day duration, representing approximately half their usual energy consumption. A comparison group was likewise put on a reduced-calorie eating plan, although this version did not include oats. “The level of particularly harmful LDL cholesterol fell by 10 per cent for them – that is a substantial reduction, although not entirely comparable to the effect of modern medications. They also lost two kilos in weight on average, and their blood pressure fell slightly,” said Principal Investigator Marie-Christine Simon, junior professor at the Institute of Nutritional and Food Science at the University of Bonn. “A short-term oat-based diet at regular intervals could be a well-tolerated way to keep the cholesterol level within the normal range and prevent diabetes,” Prof Simon added.

What happens when you do not eat oats?

In the same study, the second investigation assessed how regularly adding oats to your current diet can affect health. Around 17 volunteers replaced one daily meal with oats - selecting from porridge, oatmeal, smoothies, or baked products - across six weeks while keeping their typical overall daily energy intake unchanged. The group members did not make any modifications to their regular diet, except for steering clear of oats. In the end, this investigation did not produce measurable alterations in LDL or total cholesterol readings after the six-week timeframe.Also read: Are Oats Good for Health? Benefits, Nutrition & Why You Should Eat Them

How do oats reduce cholesterol?

Oatmeal is loaded with soluble fibre, beta-glucan, which forms a gel in the gut, binding to cholesterol-rich bile acids and preventing their reabsorption, forcing the liver to use more blood cholesterol to make new bile. So, when you eat oatmeal, beta-glucan dissolves in water in your digestive tract, creating a viscous, gel-like substance. The gel then acts like a sponge, trapping bile acids that the liver makes from cholesterol to help digest fats. By binding these bile acids, the gel prevents them from being reabsorbed and carries them out of the body. To replenish the lost bile acids, the liver pulls more cholesterol from the bloodstream, thus lowering LDL levels.