Does Oatmeal Really Lower Cholesterol?

Oat (scientific name: Avena sativa L.) is an annual herb of the family Poaceae and oat. The roots are tougher. The stalks are erect, smooth and glabrous, up to 120 cm tall, and knotted. The leaf sheath is slack, the leaf tongue is transparent, and the leaves are flat, slightly rough, and the panicles spread, pyramid-shaped, spikelets with florets; Hairy, base disc with only a few short hairs or nearly glabrous, no awns, or only a straight awn on the back, the second lemma is hairless, usually awnless. Caryopsis is light brown pilose, ventrally furrowed, and flowering from April to September.

Generally divided into two types of tadpole type (skin oats) and naked grain type (naked oats). ^[5]

The growth environment of oats is different from that of ordinary grains, and they love the cold and dry climate. China

Oats are a worldwide cultivated crop. But the main concentrated production areas are temperate regions in the northern hemisphere. The main producing countries are Russia, Canada, the United States, Australia, Germany, Finland and China. The main oat producing areas in China are Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Jilin, Shanxi, and Shaanxi. In Qinghai and Gansu, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Tibet have small-scale plantations, of which Inner Mongolia has the largest planting area. About 35% of China's total area. ^[5]

Oat nutrition

Fat: Of the more than 4,000 kinds of oats in the world, more than 90% of oats have a fat content of 5-9%, which is equivalent to 4-5 times of rice and white flour, ranking first among all cereals. 80% of oat fat is unsaturated fatty acids, mainly monounsaturated fatty acids, linoleic acid and linolenic acid, of which linoleic acid accounts for 38.1% -52.0% of the fat content. Linoleic acid is the most important essential fatty acid in the human body. It has important physiological functions in the human body and can reduce the accumulation of cholesterol in the cardiovascular system. ^[7]

Protein and amino acids: Oat is very rich in protein (15.6%), which is 1.6-2.3 times that of rice and wheat flour, ranking first in cereals. Oat protein has a high nutritional value and contains 18 amino acids, 8 of which are essential amino acids for the human body. The 8 essential amino acids are not only rich in content and reasonable in proportion, but close to the nutritional model recommended by FAO / WHO, and have high human utilization. Among them, the content of lysine in oats is more than twice that of wheat and rice, and the content of tryptophan is more than 1.7 times that of wheat and rice. Lysine, the first limiting amino acid in various types of food that Chinese residents often eat, is rich in oats (680 mg / 100 g). Therefore, supplementing oat food can make up for "lysine deficiency" caused by Chinese dietary structure. ^[7]

Vitamins and minerals : Oats are rich in vitamins including vitamin B ₁ and vitamin B ₂ , more vitamin E and nicotinic acid and folic acid. Among them, vitamin B ₁ and B _{2 are} higher in larger rice, and vitamin E is higher in flour and rice. Oats are also rich in minerals, including calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, copper, and selenium. Especially the content of calcium is significantly higher than wheat flour, rice, millet, buckwheat noodles, etc. The selenium content in oats is also very high, reaching 0.696 g / g, which is equivalent to 3.72 times that of wheat, 7.9 times that of corn, and 34.8 times that of rice. ^[7]

Dietary fiber: Dietary fiber is a natural organic polymer compound. It is a non-starch polysaccharide formed by dehydration polymerization of monosaccharides. It cannot be broken down by digestive enzymes in the human body, but it is an indispensable carbohydrate for maintaining health. Pigment, hemicellulose, pectin, lignin, etc. According to its dissolution characteristics, it can be divided into two categories: soluble fiber and insoluble fiber. Oat has both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, so it is also known as the "noble" in the family of natural dietary fiber. The total cellulose content of oats is 17-21%, of which soluble dietary fiber (the main component is -glucan) accounts for about 1/3 of the total dietary fiber, which is significantly higher than other cereals. ^[7]

Oat Health Benefits

Lowering cholesterol and lowering blood lipids: The results of clinical trials show that oats can significantly reduce serum total cholesterol, low-density cholesterol, triglycerides, and -lipoprotein, and have a certain effect of increasing serum high-density cholesterol, and lower blood lipids. The effect is very obvious. The main reason is that oats contain a variety of substances that can lower cholesterol, such as monounsaturated fatty acids, soluble dietary fiber, and so on. Beta-glucan in oat soluble dietary fiber can form a gel when digested in the small intestine, thereby surrounding cholesterol-rich cholic acid, preventing cholesterol from being absorbed and entering the bloodstream. At the same time, oats contain more linoleic acid, which can be combined with cholesterol to form an ester, which is then degraded into bile acid and excreted. Especially a large amount of linoleic acid can soften capillaries and prevent vascular sclerosis. ^[7]

Regulate blood sugar: Compared with other major grains (such as wheat, corn, rice), oatmeal can suppress the rise in blood sugar concentration after meals and adjust insulin. Therefore, oats are suitable as a therapeutic food for people with diabetes. After the carbohydrates in rice and flour are ingested into the body, they will be hydrolyzed into glucose into the blood in an uncontrolled manner, which will increase the glucose concentration in the blood. The carbohydrates in oats are slowly hydrolyzed to glucose, which will not cause Rapid rise in blood glucose concentration. At the same time, dietary fiber in oats can delay the absorption of carbohydrates, improve the sensitivity of nerve endings to insulin, and reduce insulin secretion, which is more beneficial to patients with diabetes. ^[7]

oatmeal

Improve constipation: dietary fiber has water holding, oil holding, strong water absorption and swelling ability, so it can improve digestive function, promote gastrointestinal peristalsis, and intestinal laxative. Oat fiber can reduce the residence time of stool in the large intestine, avoid intestinal absorption of residual toxins, thereby reducing the chance of intestinal disease and bowel cancer caused by the accumulation of toxic waste. This function of intestinal laxation and laxation is effective for hypertension and heart disease. Patients are particularly beneficial because many patients with hypertension and heart disease often suffer from cerebral hemorrhage and heart attacks due to dry stools and excessive defecation. ^[7]

Weight control: Oat fiber can absorb water that is several times its own weight, absorb water in the stomach and swell, and form a high viscosity sol or gel, which delays the emptying time of the gastrointestinal tract and is prone to fullness. At the same time, oats can provide long-lasting energy and make the feeling of fullness last for a long time, thereby reducing the number and number of meals and making people less prone to gaining weight. Eating oats to control your weight and stay in shape is much better than drugs to lose weight because there are no side effects. The United States' "Time" magazine also believes that oats are a natural ideal food for weight loss. ^[7]

Other functions: The rich vitamins, minerals, and amino acids contained in oats are extremely important for improving the health of the body, promoting development, participating in metabolism, and resisting diseases. The vitamin B ₁ , vitamin B ₂ , vitamin E, and folic acid contained in oats can improve blood circulation, help eliminate fatigue, reduce psychological stress, and benefit fetal growth and development. Oats contain calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, manganese and other minerals, which can prevent osteoporosis, promote wound healing, and prevent anemia. In addition, oat is a rare antioxidant-containing grain, which has excellent antioxidant and elimination of free radicals in the body. ^[7]

Oat processing and utilization

Primary oat processed products outside China mainly include selected oat grains, cut oats, oatmeal series, oat flour and oat drums. Oat fine products mainly include oat starch, oat soluble cellulose, and oat antioxidant active ingredients. The products developed in China mainly include high-fiber oatmeal, oatmeal powder, oatmeal powder, oatmeal, oat instant noodles, oat drinks, high-fiber bran, oat dextran, oat starch, oat protein, and oat oil. High-temperature and short-time extrusion puffing technology, infrared enzyme inactivation technology, microwave extraction technology, ultra-fine pulverization technology and carbon dioxide supercritical fluid extraction technology are gradually applied to the processing of oat products.

Oatmeal: There are many types of oatmeal on the market. Depending on the processing technology and method of use, there are pre-cooked oatmeal and quick-cooked oatmeal. Pre-cooked oatmeal needs to be boiled in boiling water for 5-10 minutes before consumption, and quick-cooked oatmeal can be eaten by soaking in hot water for 3-5 minutes. According to the difference of raw materials and flavors, there are plain oatmeal and compound nutrition oatmeal (mainly mixed type). The original oatmeal is made of only one kind of oatmeal. It does not add sugar, salt, and lipids. It retains most of the nutrients in oats. It has a light natural flavor of wheat and is suitable for the elderly, diabetic, blood lipids and People with high blood sugar take it. Multi-nutrient oatmeal is made by adding raw materials such as milk powder, soybean flour, jujube, walnut, almond, sucrose, vegetable fat powder and other raw materials during oatmeal production, which can make oatmeal have different tastes and can achieve the purpose of instant dissolution. The addition of these ingredients effectively supplements the sugar, protein and fat in pure oatmeal, and is more suitable for children and adolescents who have greater energy needs. According to the classification of the crowd, there are infant formula oatmeal added with HA, oatmeal for women added raw materials such as wolfberry, red dates, longan and other raw materials. Oatmeal products produced by different raw materials and processes have large differences in quality such as taste, flavor and instant solubility.

Oatmeal : Oatmeal is obtained from oat kernels and is a major oatmeal product. Oatmeal rice almost completely preserves all the nutritional ingredients in oats, which can be directly cooked and eaten.

Oat bran: Oat bran is a by-product of oat processing, with a protein content of up to 30%. Albumin, globulin, gliadin, and gluten account for 63.4%, 15.18%, 8.18%, and 13.24% of the total protein content, respectively. Albumin is the highest in oat bran protein, and essential amino acids, especially lysine and tryptophan, are particularly high. Tryptophan has the functions of improving sleep, preventing pellagra, depression, and regulating mood, and is called "second essential amino acid". Moreover, studies have shown that the molecular weight of each protein component of oat bran is small, easy to digest and absorb, and the protein nutritional titer is high.

Oat drinks: There are fermented drinks such as oat milk, non-fermented drinks such as oat fiber drinks and oat tea. The market price of oat drinks produced in Europe and the United States is relatively high, and consumers have a high degree of awareness. Although China has such products, its market share is quite low and it is only in its infancy. Therefore, the development of oat health drinks should be promising.

Functional food: Oat functional food mainly refers to products containing oat functional ingredients or factors such as oat bran, oat -glucan and oat oil. Oat -glucan, oat oil, and oat protein have all achieved industrial production. Oat oil can be directly made into pellets. As a food base, oat dietary fiber can be added to meat products such as western sausages and hamburger patties to increase the water holding capacity of meat products. Chewable tablets can also be made with oat dietary fiber as a base. ^[5]

Other uses of oats

Oats are also widely used in other industries, such as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Because dextran has a good moisturizing effect, the United States has replaced oat dextran with hyaluronic acid commonly used in cosmetics. Oat starch has unusual gel properties and fine and soft powder properties, and has been used in the production of facial powder, body wash, and eye shadow powder. Oat protein can replace animal protein, and is a good vaccine medium and pesticide slow-release agent. ^[5]