Oats are a nutritious whole grain that can help to prevent heart disease and diabetes. Oats contain a special type of fiber that is called beta-glucan. Studies dating back over 40 years have consistently shown the beneficial effects of beta-glucan on cholesterol levels. In individuals with cholesterol above 220, consuming only 3 grams of soluble oat fiber per day (an amount found in one bowl of oatmeal) typically lowers total cholesterol by 8-23%. Each 1% drop in cholesterol equates to a 2% decrease in the risk of developing heart disease. Now that is an easy way to take care of your heart.
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Studies also show that beta-glucan has beneficial effects in diabetes. Type 2 diabetics who ate foods high in this type of oat fiber such as oatmeal or oat bran experienced much lower rises in blood sugar compared to those who were ate processed foods. Starting out your day with oats may make it easier to keep blood sugar levels under control the rest of the day, especially when the rest of your day is also includes other whole foods that are rich in fiber.
More
recently, researchers from the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts
University, Boston, report that oats may have another heart protective
quality. Their findings were reported in Journal of Nutrition in 2007,
and indicate that oats contain unique antioxidant compounds called
avenanthramides. These special antioxidant compounds help prevent free radicals
from damaging LDL cholesterol thereby reducing the risk of cardiovascular
disease.
In another
study also conducted at Tufts and published in the journal Atherosclerosis,
researchers exposed human arterial wall cells to purified avenenthramides from
oats for 24 hours, and found that these oat phenols significantly suppressed
the production of several types of molecules which cause arteries to become
clogged.
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Updated 11/5/18
Image Credit: Unhulled Oats - Wikimedia Commons
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