Oat Bran and Reduced Body Weight

Research synthesisLow evidenceSmall effect3 studies · 1 beneficial · 2 neutral · 0 harmful

Across 3 randomized controlled trials, 1 reported a small beneficial effect of oat bran on body weight reduction, while 2 found no significant difference. The most-studied dose was 40 g/day, and the only significant benefit was observed in a 90-day trial involving adults with elevated LDL cholesterol. The median study duration was 42 days, but effects were not consistently observed.

Effective dose range: 40 g/day
Studied populations: Adults with elevated LDL cholesterol

Caveats: Evidence base is small (only 3 studies) — conclusions should be considered preliminary. Many of the included studies did not reach statistical significance — effect may be smaller than the predominant direction suggests. The beneficial effect was observed in a longer trial (90 days) at 40 g/day, while shorter trials (14 and 42 days) at similar or higher doses did not show significant weight loss.

Generated Jul 11, 2026

Doses used in studies

g/day: 40–102 (median 40, IQR 40–71) — 3 studies

Time to effect

Median: 6 weeks · IQR 4 weeks–9.4 weeks · Range 2 weeks–3 months — Reported in 3 of 3 studies

3 of 3 papersPopulation:

Effects of oat bran and nutrition counseling on the lipid and glucose profile and anthropometric parameters of hypercholesterolemia patients
- 2016-01-01
- RCT · n = 132
- Nutricion hospitalaria 33(1)
- - Simone Raimondi de Souza
  - Gláucia Maria Moraes de Oliveira
  - Ronir Raggio Luiz
  - Glorimar Rosa
- PubMed: 27019267
- DOI: 10.20960/nh.40
11 Insights on
- Reduced Body Weight
- High evidence
- Large Human Trial
- Clinical
Both groups showed a significant decrease in anthropometric parameters
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Small
Significant
Yes
Dose
40 g/day
A diet rich in oat bran improves blood lipids and hemostatic factors, and reduces apparent energy digestibility in young healthy volunteers.
- 2011-06-08
- RCT · n = 24
- European journal of clinical nutrition 65(9)
- - M Kristensen
  - S Bügel
- PubMed: 21654701
- DOI: 10.1038/ejcn.2011.102
13 Insights on
- Reduced Body Weight
- High evidence
- Rigorous Journal
- Adults
changes in body weight did not differ (oat bran:-0.3±0.5 kg; control: 0.0±0.7 kg)
Effect
Neutral
Effect size
Small
Significant
No
Dose
102 g/day (6 g soluble fiber/day)
Addition of oat bran reduces HDL-C and does not potentialize effect of a low-calorie diet on remission of metabolic syndrome: A pragmatic, randomized, controlled, open-label nutritional trial.
- 2019-09
- RCT · n = 83
- Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.) 65
- - Leila Sicupira Carneiro de Souza Leão
  - Luana Azevedo de Aquino
  - Juliana Furtado Dias
  - Rosalina Jorge Koifman
- PubMed: 31082790
- DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2019.03.007
9 Insights on
- Reduced Body Weight
- High evidence
- Clinical
There was no significant difference in any of the variables between the groups
Effect
Neutral
Effect size
Small
Significant
No
Dose
40 g/d

Oat Bran and Reduced Body Weight

Effects of oat bran and nutrition counseling on the lipid and glucose profile and anthropometric parameters of hypercholesterolemia patients

A diet rich in oat bran improves blood lipids and hemostatic factors, and reduces apparent energy digestibility in young healthy volunteers.

Addition of oat bran reduces HDL-C and does not potentialize effect of a low-calorie diet on remission of metabolic syndrome: A pragmatic, randomized, controlled, open-label nutritional trial.