Lowers Cholesterol

• Oat bran can lower the body's cholesterol. According to a study done by Quaker Oats, consuming oat bran every day can lower a person's total cholesterol. The Quaker Oats study was done on healthy people with average cholesterol levels. About 35 g of hot oat bran cereal lowered cholesterol levels an average of 3 percent when eaten every day for 4 to 6 weeks.
  
  

Healthy Food

• Oat bran contains many healthy ingredients and adds to a person's overall daily nutrition. Oat bran is high in dietary fiber at 14 grams per cup. Oat bran is a good source of iron, thiamine, selenium and phosphorus. Oat bran can make a person feel fuller faster than many other foods, so she might eat less of other foods.
  
  

Statistics

• According to the United States Department of Agriculture, one cup of raw oat bran contains the following healthy ingredients: 16 g of protein, 5 percent of the recommended daily amount of calcium for a 2,000 calorie diet. 18.4 mg of betaine; 5.1 mg of iron, and 48.9 mcg of folate. Oat bran contains even more nutrients, such as selenium, at 42.5 mg; phosphorus, at 690 mg; potassium, at 532 mg; and zinc, at 2.9 mg. Oat bran also contains a small amount of copper.
  
  

Fiber

• Oat bran is a fiber-filled food. According to Nutrition Data.com, researchers believe that it is the soluble fiber in oat bran that may lower cholesterol.
  
  

What It Does Not Contain

• Oat bran does not contain unhealthy ingredients. Oat bran does not contain caffeine, alcohol or a large quantity of fat. According to the USDA, however, oat bran also does not contain any vitamin A or vitamin C. However, on the plus side, oat bran does not contain any cholesterol.
  
  

Small Amounts of Less Healthy Ingredients

• Oat bran does contain small amounts of some ingredients that may be considered to be unhealthy. These include 1 g of sugar and 1 g of saturated fat. However, the pluses outweigh the small minuses in oat bran.
  
  

Labels

• Oat bran is being added to many foods these days. Possibly in an effort to add to the nutrition factor of a person's daily diet, manufacturers are adding oat bran to nearly every food. Sara Lee has added oat bran to their muffins. Dunkin Donuts has added about 10 g of oat bran to some of their doughnuts. When purchasing food for its healthy ingredients, read the nutrition label to make sure there is enough oat bran to be beneficial.