One of the most commonly eaten cereals in the world is the humble oats. Consumed by millions of people around the world in the form of oatmeal or rolled oats, they have a wide range of health benefits.
With numerous health awareness campaigns sweeping across the world in recent times, eating oats in the form of porridge or oatmeal particularly for breakfast has become increasingly in vogue. A lot of research has also shown a direct positive correlation between increasing oats consumption and a lowering of body’s unwanted excess cholesterol.
The benefits of eating oats:
Lowering the risk of coronary artery diseases: Recent research that assessed the impact of including oats in the diet revealed that eating foods that were rich in whole oat sources of soluble fibres can significantly help reduce the risk of coronary heart diseases. What is more, an oat rich diet affects only the presence of low density lipoproteins and cholesterol without affecting the useful high density lipoproteins.
Reduces the risk of Colorectal Cancer: A study in Britain and the Netherlands that looked at evidence from over 2 million people was able to conclude that a high-fibre diet that was rich in oats was directly responsible for lowering the risk of colorectal cancer. In fact the study suggested that an increase of a mere 10 grams of oats in a person’s diet seemed to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by an equivalent 10 percent.
Helps in regulating blood pressure: An oat rich diet also has major health benefits for those who have long standing problems with blood pressure. A fibre rich diet can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and thus help in regulating the blood pressure, particularly in middle-aged people. Hence oats are also highly recommended for high performance sports.
Helps control Obesity and regulates digestion: Whole grains, especially oats are highly recommended for the benefits they offer for the gastrointestinal tract. They greatly improve digestion, thus cleanse, strengthen and improve the body’s immune system. The body generally finds it tough to break down an oat rich diet and as a result, an individual ends up feeling more satiated after a meal and thus prevents overeating. Oats and fibre rich foods are highly recommended as a treatment for obesity.
Oats contain vital Antioxidants: Oats contain a range of antioxidants in molecular form such as avenanthramides. These help in increasing the body’s nitric oxide production and thus play a major role in keeping the blood pressure steady. They also have major anti-inflammatory and anti-itching properties.
Rich source of Magnesium: Oats are great sources of Magnesium - a vital ingredient in helping the body regulate its enzyme functions and energy production. This helps prevent heart attacks, strokes and relaxes the blood vessels. High levels of Magnesium also help the body regulate its insulin secretions and regulate the proper use of glucose.
Helps prevent constipation: Oats are rich sources of fibre and thus regulate bowel movement, thus preventing constipation.
Studies have shown that Oats are loaded with important vitamins, minerals and antioxidant plant compounds. Just half a cup of oats contains Manganese, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Copper, Iron, Zinc, Folate, Vitamin B1 (thiamine), Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) and smaller amounts of calcium, potassium, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) and vitamin B3 (niacin). In addition oats have a very low calorific count, thus making them one of the most nutritious, dense foods available.
Just a single bowl of Oats a day is enough to keep numerous diseases at bay!