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Food · Grains & Legumes · Grains
food source · 1
What matters in oats is the soluble fiber beta-glucan: it turns into a gel in water and carries off some bile acids, the liver draws cholesterol from the blood to replace them, and LDL falls; blood glucose also rises more slowly. The US FDA's health claim is based on at least 3 g a day.
Mechanism · The gel traps bile and slows sugar
Beta-glucan turns into a thick gel in water. Sugar has to work through this net before it reaches the blood, so blood glucose rises more slowly; in the gut the gel also traps some bile acids and carries them out in the stool, so the liver has to draw cholesterol from the blood to make new bile acids, and blood LDL (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, the so-called bad cholesterol) falls. Oat protein is on the high side for a grain, but lysine is still its weak spot, so it is not complete protein; milk, eggs or soy foods make up the gap.
Numbers · Dry oats and a bowl of porridge
The US FDA allows oat foods to carry a health claim about lowering the risk of coronary heart disease when they supply at least 3 g of oat beta-glucan a day. Dry oats have about 379 kcal and about 10 g of fiber per 100 g; cooked oat porridge has about 71 kcal per 100 g, and a bowl of about 240 g still delivers a useful amount. Instant sachets with a lot of added sugar undo part of the benefit.