Almond and oat milk lowered ApoB in a 12-week study
What it found
In 20 people, daily almond and oat milk for 12 weeks lowered ApoB by about 17% and LDL cholesterol by about 9%.
A separate group of 5 people on statins saw a larger drop in ApoB.
What they found
Studies in people
ApoB drop with food
After 12 weeks on almond and oat milk, ApoB fell by 16.97% on average. The drop was significant at 4, 8, and 12 weeks.
LDL and sdLDL drop
LDL cholesterol fell by 8.60% and sdLDL fell by 28.75% after 12 weeks of the food therapy. HDL cholesterol, Lp(a), and hsCRP did not change significantly.
Statin comparison
In the statin group, ApoB fell by 30.74% after 1 week and 53.11% after 4 weeks. The authors note statins remain the most effective way to lower ApoB and LDL cholesterol.
Baseline ApoB groups
People who started with lower ApoB (under 100 mg/dL) saw significant drops at weeks 4 and 12. Those who started higher (over 100 mg/dL) saw a drop at week 4 but not at week 12.
Other findings
Device performance
The sensor measured ApoB from 0 to 212 mg/dL and gave results in 30 seconds. It showed good agreement with a commercial lab test on 154 blood samples.
What the authors conclude
“The regular consumption of almond and oat milk was found to significantly reduce levels of ApoB, LDL-C, and sdLDL”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that regular consumption of almond and oat milk significantly reduced ApoB, LDL-C, and sdLDL, but did not change HDL-C, Lp(a), or hsCRP.
- They state that statin therapy remains the most effective intervention for reducing ApoB and LDL-C.
- They say the device shows potential for routine heart disease risk tracking and personalized management.
How it was done
The authors wanted to develop a small point-of-care device to measure apolipoprotein B (ApoB), a marker of heart disease risk, and to see how diet or statins change it.
They built a palm-sized sensor using sound waves to measure ApoB from a finger-prick blood sample. They then followed 25 people for 12 weeks: 20 took 50 g of almonds and 290 mL of oat milk daily, and 5 took 20 mg of a statin daily.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a small study with only 25 people, and they were not randomly assigned to groups. So it cannot prove that the food or statins caused the changes.
- The results in people eating almond and oat milk may not apply to other diets or to people with different health conditions.
- The device's accuracy was tested, but it cannot show whether using it improves health outcomes.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Author C.-H.C. and H.Y. was employed by the company tst biomedical electronics Co., Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- Shizuoka University, Japan; Chang Gung University, Taiwan; Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan
The paper
- Title
- Tracking the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease after Almond and Oat Milk Intervene or Statin Medication with a Powerful Reflex SH-SAW POCT Platform
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Cheng CH, Yatsuda H, Chen HH, Young GH, Liu SH, Wang RY (2024). Tracking the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease after Almond and Oat Milk Intervene or Statin Medication with a Powerful Reflex SH-SAW POCT Platform. Sensors (Basel, Switzerland). doi:10.3390/s24206517Free full textPubMed 39459999DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error