They are among the most prescribed drugs in the world, taken by eight million people in the UK and one in four Americans over 40.
Statins are proven to significantly lower cholesterol, slashing the risk of heart attacks and strokes and saving lives.
Yet up to half of patients fail to get their levels under control after a year on the drugs.
What if there was a simple dietary tweak that could boost the effectiveness of these cholesterol-lowering medications, helping bring down stubborn levels?
Some experts believe a type of fibre called arabinoxylan could be the answer – and there is even evidence that consuming it regularly may help lower cholesterol without the need for medication at all.
Found mainly in the outer coating of cereal grains such as rye, barley and corn, wheat bran – available in most supermarkets – is one of the richest dietary sources of arabinoxylan.
Wheat bran can be stirred into cereals, soups and sauces, and a daily ‘dose’ costs just pennies.
Studies show that people taking statins can see a significant drop in cholesterol within just four weeks when eating a fibre-rich diet.
Wheat bran is often discarded in the milling process – but experts say it is one of the most under-utilised tools available when it comes to reducing cholesterol
’Statins act mainly on the liver, while fibre works primarily in the gut. What’s exciting is how these mechanisms work together to improve cholesterol control,’ Dr Federica Amati, nutrition lead at Imperial College London, said.
’We know that changing your diet can impact the way drugs work. What this suggests is that you can “power up” the efficacy of a drug through diet – and increasing fibre intake is one way to help lower cholesterol and enhance statins’ effects.’
So, what exactly is arabinoxylan, how does it work – and, most importantly, how can you incorporate it into your daily diet?
First, it is important to understand what cholesterol actually is.
Cholesterol is a fatty substance naturally produced by the body – mainly in the liver – and found in every cell.
Despite its bad reputation, it plays a vital role in keeping us healthy, helping the body make hormones, build cell membranes and digest food.
Problems arise, however, when levels in the blood become too high.
There are two main types of cholesterol. High-density lipoprotein (HDL), often referred to as the ’good’ kind, carries excess cholesterol from the bloodstream back to the liver, where it can be broken down and removed from the body.
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), meanwhile, is considered the ’bad’ type because it transports cholesterol into the walls of the arteries.
Over time, excess LDL can build up inside blood vessels, forming fatty deposits that restrict blood flow and dramatically increase the risk of heart attack, stroke and even dementia.
A concerning six in ten British adults now have high cholesterol, latest figures suggest, with numbers steadily rising due to poor diets and sedentary lifestyles.
For this reason, doctors hand out millions of prescriptions for statins every year – drugs that can cut harmful LDL cholesterol by 30 to 50 per cent, depending on the dose.
But medication is only part of the picture. Scientists are increasingly discovering that diet can have a major impact on cholesterol levels too – and may even help statins work more effectively.
One area attracting growing attention is fibre, particularly arabinoxylan, which appears to lower cholesterol in several different ways.
Firstly, like many types of fibre, it forms a gel-like substance in the gut that traps cholesterol and stops some of it from being absorbed into the bloodstream.
It also feeds beneficial gut bacteria, which produce compounds called short-chain fatty acids. These travel to the liver, where they appear to slow cholesterol production by acting on some of the same pathways targeted by statins.
Finally, it binds to bile acids – substances made by the liver using cholesterol to help digest food. Normally these acids are recycled by the body, but fibre helps flush them out instead, forcing the liver to use up more cholesterol to replace them.
’It’s a bit like bin day,’ Dr Amati said. ’If the bin man comes along and disposes of your rubbish – in this case the bile acids – then you can fill up your bins with more waste.
’Arabinoxylan interacts with the systems that regulate cholesterol balance, enhancing the effects of statins to lower cholesterol,’ she added.
Wheat bran also contains small amounts of beta-glucans, another type of fibre that can help reduce cholesterol absorption. Studies have shown that just three grams a day can lower total cholesterol by five to ten per cent, even in people not taking statins.
Yet despite the potential benefits of fibre, research suggests around 96 per cent of UK adults fail to eat the recommended 30g a day.
‘Studies on arabinoxylan add to our understanding of just how important it is to increase your fibre intake – especially if you have high cholesterol,’ Dr Amati concluded.
However, experts stress that lifestyle changes – including reducing alcohol intake and exercising regularly – remain essential for getting the most out of statins.
While the research is still at an early stage, Dr Amati believes it will not be long before we see arabinoxylan supplements on pharmacy shelves, helping people get the best out of their medication.
Alara organic wheat bran costs just £2.70 from Ocado
So how much wheat bran should we be eating?
Just two tablespoons – or 30g – of wheat bran provides around 10g of arabinoxylan, which may be enough to benefit from its cholesterol-lowering effects, research suggests.
Sold in most supermarkets, usually alongside breakfast cereals or baking ingredients, it can cost as little as a few pounds a box – working out at roughly 10p to 20p a serving in the UK, or around 20 to 40 cents a serving in the US.
The best products are those that contain just wheat bran with no added preservatives. In the UK, Alara’s organic wheat bran, available at Ocado, or Sussex Wholefoods’ version – sold at Tesco – are good options.
In the US, similar products include Bob’s Red Mill Wheat Bran and Arrowhead Mills Organic Wheat Bran, both widely available in supermarkets and online.
But experts say it is important not to focus on just one type of fibre, and that diversity is key.
For this reason, Dr Amati recommends Myota’s gut-health fibre blend – which contains gluten-free wheat bran – or Zoe’s Daily30, a seed blend that can be added to meals, to those looking to boost their fibre intake and lower cholesterol.
High-fibre diets alone have been shown to significantly lower cholesterol levels without the need for statins in people with borderline levels.
’For anyone sitting in that borderline zone, fibre is one of the most underused tools available,’ Dr Amati said.
’For many, it can be enough to shift the needle meaningfully and the broader benefits to gut health, blood sugar and inflammation make it worth doing regardless.’
In fact, fibre – championed by the heart-healthy Portfolio diet – has been shown in a number of studies to help slash cholesterol levels by 30 per cent in just one month.
Results show that adults who eat 30g of fibre a day – two thirds of which should come from soluble fibres such as oats, wholegrains and pulses – while limiting saturated fats and processed foods, can meaningfully reduce their cholesterol levels within a matter of months.
Even those with worryingly high levels who casually follow the diet can see a substantial reduction in bad cholesterol, with levels falling by 14 per cent in just three months.
A review published in the journal Current Atherosclerosis Reports found that simply eating around 5g to 10g of soluble fibre a day – the equivalent of a cup of chickpeas – can reduce LDL cholesterol by 10 per cent, while hitting the recommended daily fibre target of around 30g is linked to a significant reduction in heart disease risk.
Because wheat bran is so rich in fibre, doctors advise increasing intake gradually and drinking plenty of water to reduce the risk of bloating or stomach discomfort.
Arabinoxylan is also found naturally in wholegrain foods such as rye bread, barley, brown rice and bran cereals, though wheat bran is considered one of the most concentrated sources.
Nutrition experts say it is best consumed regularly as part of meals rather than taken occasionally in large amounts, as the cholesterol-lowering effects of fibre appear to build over time.
Some studies also suggest fibre may work best when eaten alongside statins rather than at completely different times of day because both act on cholesterol pathways simultaneously – though experts stress the overall quality of the diet matters far more than precise timing.
Dr Amati said boosting fibre intake should not be viewed as an alternative to medication, but as part of a wider heart-healthy lifestyle that includes exercise, limiting ultra-processed foods and reducing alcohol intake.
People taking statins are also advised not to stop treatment or make major dietary changes without speaking to their doctor, particularly if they have existing heart disease or very high cholesterol.
