NOTE: The current recommendations for dietary fiber consumption are 25 grams per day
for women younger than 50, and 21 grams per day for women older than 50; 38 grams per
day for men younger than 50, and 30 grams per day for men older than 50.
To reduce cholesterol levels in the blood. Foods high in soluble gums and pectins appear to
lower the amount of cholesterol and low-density lipoproteins (LDLs), the particles that carry
cholesterol into your arteries, in your blood, a task beta-glucans performs more effectively
than any other soluble fiber. There are currently two theories to explain how soluble fibers
work. The first is that the pectins in the oats may form a gel in your stomach that sops up
fats keep them from being absorbed by your body. The second is that bacteria in the gut may
feed on the fiber in the oats and produce short chain fatty acids that inhibit the production
of cholesterol in your liver.
A 1990 study at the University of Kentucky showed that adding^1 / 2 cup oat bran (mea-
sured when dry) to you daily diet can reduce levels of LDLs by as much as 25 percent. A
second study, with 220 healthy people, at the Medical School of Northwestern University,
showed that people with cholesterol levels of 200 mg/dL could reduce total cholesterol an
average 9.3 percent by following a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet supplemented by two ounces
of oats or oat bran. The oats were given credit for about one-third of the drop in cholesterol
levels; the rest went to the low-fat, low-cholesterol diet.
In 1997, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use on labels of health claims
for oats such as: “Soluble fiber from foods such as oat bran, as part of a diet low in saturated
fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.”
Calming effect. Your mood is affected by naturally occurring chemicals called neurotrans-
mitters that allow cells in your brain to transmit impulses from one to the other. Tryptophan,
an amino acid, is the most important constituent of serotonin, a “calming” neurotransmitter.
Foods such as oatmeal, which are high in complex carbohydrates, may help move trypto-
phan into your brain, increasing your ability to use serotonin.
As a source of carbohydrates for people with diabetes. Cereal grains are digested very slowly,
producing only a gradual rise in the level of sugar in the blood. As a result, the body needs
less insulin to control blood sugar after eating plain, unadorned cereal grains than after
eating some other high-carbohydrate foods (bread or potato). In studies at the University
of Kentucky, a whole-grain, bean, vegetable, and fruit-rich diet developed at the University
of Toronto and recommended by the American Diabetes Association enabled patients with
type 1 diabetes (who do not produce any insulin themselves), to cut their daily insulin intake
by 38 percent. For patients with type 2 diabetes (who can produce some insulin), the bean
diet reduced the need for injected insulin by 98 percent. This diet is in line with the nutri-
tional guidelines of the American Diabetes Association, but people with diabetes should
always check with their doctor and/or dietitian before altering their diet.
Adverse Effects Associated with This Food
Gliadin intolerance. Celiac disease is an intestinal allergic disorder whose victims are sensi-
tive to gluten and gliadin, proteins in wheat and rye. People with celiac disease cannot digest
Oats (Oatmeal)