The trendy ‘healthy’ alternative to cow’s milk that could INCREASE your risk of heart attack

To call it a fall from grace would be an understatement. Oat milk, the once niche vegan product that has become a very trendy dairy alternative, is falling out of favor with health gurus.

Critics are flocking to social media to raise the alarm after research found it may not be as sacred as often portrayed.

And the news may come as a shock to the quarter of the British population who admit to drinking it regularly – no doubt motivated in part by previous claims that it was healthier than dairy.

In a TikTok video, New York nursing student Calvin Tanny – who appears to be in his 20s – shared a video of himself throwing away a carton of oat milk.

He claimed he had just been diagnosed with high cholesterol and was told by his doctor that his daily matcha oat milk lattes were the cause. ‘Oat milk is bad for cholesterol???’ one follower wrote in response. ‘Nooooooooo!’ Another simply exclaimed.

Is oat milk really that bad for us? “Oat milk consists almost exclusively of carbohydrates,” says nutritionist Sarah Carolides. ‘There are between 15 and 20 grams of carbohydrates in a glass of oat milk, compared to about eight grams of carbohydrates in a glass of dairy milk.

‘This means it’s high in calories but very low in protein, so it won’t keep you full for long. And then there are the emulsifiers, which keep the oat milk from separating, sweeteners and other additives found in commercial brands. If you drink several oat milk lattes a day, that can become a problem.’

French biochemist Jessie Inchauspe went viral earlier this year for explaining the spike in blood sugar levels – and subsequent dip – that occurs after drinking an oat milk latte.

‘Oat milk comes from oats. Oats are a grain and grains are starches. So if you drink oat milk, you drink starch juice,” she said in a video that has been viewed more than five million times.

‘You drink juice that contains a lot of glucose, so that leads to a large glucose peak. If you drink oat milk because you think it’s healthier, just switch. Go back to whole milk or unsweetened nut milk.”

Glucose spikes occur when there is more sugar in the bloodstream than the cells can use for energy. These rapid increases are followed by sharp decreases, and this can lead to feelings of hunger. In the long term, frequent glucose spikes have been linked to the development of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

But what about all the research showing that dietary oats can actually lower cholesterol?

This may be because so-called ‘barista editions’ of oat milk – used in many drinks purchased in coffee shops – contain only about 10 percent oats. The rest is water mixed with oils and emulsifiers that keep the ingredients mixed and when heated they foam like dairy milk.

And these oils can still contribute to elevated cholesterol levels if consumed in excess, says Dr Oliver Guttmann, a consultant cardiologist at Wellington Hospital in London.

“Oats, eaten in porridge for example, can even lower cholesterol over time because they are high in fiber, and fiber lowers cholesterol,” he says. “But drinking the frothy type of oat milk that has a higher fat content can cause high cholesterol if you drink too much of it.”

In addition, high-sugar diets cause the liver to produce more of the “bad” LDL cholesterol and can lower levels of the “good” HDL cholesterol. ‘While we always thought saturated fats were bad for cholesterol, it is now increasingly recognized that dietary sugars can also affect this,’ says nutritionist Ms Carolides. “This may be why there are anecdotal reports of people lowering their cholesterol levels when they switch from oat milk.”

She adds: ‘A small amount of oat milk in one cup of coffee per day will not be a problem. But a few large portions are virtually empty calories that keep your carbohydrate and salt levels up and not much else.”

Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, a woman revealed how she was told she had high cholesterol at the age of 23, despite being a slim non-smoker and following a seemingly healthy diet.

Student Miranda – who wished to remain anonymous – said: ‘I was told I needed to change my diet, and after some research I realized the oat milk I had in my daily iced latte could be the cause.

‘After I cut it out and ate a bowl of porridge every day instead, my cholesterol dropped – and that was the only change I made.’

…and other options aren’t great either

It’s not just oat milk that’s in the spotlight: coconut milk, which is often used in frothy hot milk drinks, is high in saturated fat

and can cause cholesterol levels to rise, experts warn.

In fact, just one cup of coconut milk makes up almost a quarter of the average adult’s daily saturated fat intake.

“Although coconut milk sold in a carton in the milk aisle is a more diluted product than the type of canned coconut milk used in cooking, it may still contain more fat than some other milk alternatives and is quite low in protein,” says nutritionist Clarissa Lenherr. warns.

While a cup of skim milk contains about 8 grams of protein, the same amount of coconut milk contains none.

‘Coconut milk can sometimes contain gum used as a thickener, and if it doesn’t, many brands add rice milk to it, so always check the labels,’ adds Ms Lenherr.

Many plant-based milks that claim no added sugar still contain rice milk as a sweetener. However, like sugar, rice milk has a high glycemic index and high carbohydrate content, which can affect blood sugar levels.

Rice milk is also not recommended for children under five years old due to the small amount of arsenic it contains.