You may have heard many times that oats are good for your heart. But do you know why oats are seen as the heart-friendly superfood?

Oats are rich in a particular fibre call beta-glucans. Science has shown that this type of fibre contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels. Beta-glucans have also been shown to reduce high cholesterol levels (1, 2).

This is key when it comes to your heart health in order to help prevent things such as coronary disease.  Whilst the process of how oat beta-glucans work within your internal system may seem complex, simply put, they help to eliminate some of the cholesterol present in your intestine (1, 3). To achieve this, 3 grams of oat beta-glucans should be consumed daily (2).

Oat grain contains roughly 5 grams of beta-glucans per 100 grams. This serving provides approximately 380 calories. But, if you are not a fan of eating oats every day, you can also find oat beta-glucan supplements that can be taken alone or combined with other foods.

There are also a variety of beta-glucans, which can be found in foods such as mushrooms and yeast. Whilst these beta-glucans have similar attributes to oat beta-glucans, they do not behave in the same way throughout body (4). And, furthermore, some oat beta-glucans differ from each other. They come in different sizes, which can be described as “molecular-weight”, where larger oat grains are better at lowering cholesterol levels (2).

This is supported by a recent study done using a high molecular weight type of oat beta-glucans (Oatwell™) in adults with moderately high levels of blood cholesterol. This study showed that those who took 3 grams of oat beta-glucans every day reduced their total cholesterol levels by 6.5% after 4 weeks, and by almost 9% after 8 weeks. People in this group also reduced their LDL cholesterol levels (aka the bad cholesterol) by more than 12% after 4 weeks, and by about 15% after 8 weeks (5).

Did you know that oats were first eaten more than 32,000 years ago when hunter-gatherers ground them down to make flour or bread. Many years before farming developed (6), it seems that our ancestors knew just how beneficial oats were.   So why not keep this habit alive by enjoying a bowl of porridge, making overnight oats, baking flapjacks or even trying out oat beta-glucan supplements?

References

1. EFSA. Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to beta-glucans and maintenance of normal blood cholesterol concentrations (ID 754, 755, 757, 801, 1465, 2934) and maintenance or achievement of a normal body weight (ID 820, 823) pursuant to Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. EFSA Journal. 2009;7(9):1254.
2. EFSA. Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of a health claim related to oat beta glucan and lowering blood cholesterol and reduced risk of (coronary) heart disease pursuant to Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. EFSA Journal. 2010;8(12):1885-n/a.
3. Gunness P, Michiels J, Vanhaecke L, De Smet S, Kravchuk O, Van de Meene A, et al. Reduction in circulating bile acid and restricted diffusion across the intestinal epithelium are associated with a decrease in blood cholesterol in the presence of oat β-glucan. Faseb j. 2016;30(12):4227-38.
4. Pizarro S, Ronco AM, M G. β-glucans: what types exist and what are their health benefits? Rev Chil Nutr. 2014;41(3):8.
5. Cicero AFG, Fogacci F, Veronesi M, Strocchi E, Grandi E, Rizzoli E, et al. A randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Medium-Term Effects of Oat Fibers on Human Health: The Beta-Glucan Effects on Lipid Profile, Glycemia and inTestinal Health (BELT) Study. Nutrients. 2020;12(3).
6. Mariotti Lippi M, Foggi B, Aranguren B, Ronchitelli A, Revedin A. Multistep food plant processing at Grotta Paglicci (Southern Italy) around 32,600 cal B.P. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2015;112(39):12075-80.