Oat

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Cholesterol levels in adults²

  Eating oats with at least 3 g of oat beta-glucan daily lowered LDL and total cholesterol in adults.

• Benefit

  Heart and blood sugar³

  Oats contain a soluble fiber called beta-glucan that helps lower cholesterol and slow sugar absorption.

• Benefit

  Immune system support⁴

  Oats contain fiber, copper, iron, selenium, zinc and polyphenols that this review says help support the immune system.

• Benefit

  Heart and blood fat health⁵

  In people with mental disorders, oat bran lowered cholesterol and triglycerides, and belly fat improved.

• Concern

  Blood sugar after meals⁸

  Quick and instant oats raise blood sugar more than large-flake or steel-cut oats.

• Benefit

  Heart disease risk⁹

  Oat beta-glucan may lower the risk of heart disease, according to many studies in people.

• Benefit

  Blood pressure¹⁰

  In people, eating oats may lower blood pressure, though scientists are still working out which parts of the oat do it.

• Benefit

  Blood cholesterol levels¹¹

  Eating oats may lower total and LDL cholesterol, with studies showing average drops of 5% and 7%.

• Benefit

  Heart health claims on food¹³

  Oat beta glucan can lower cholesterol, but few oat products actually say so on the pack.

• Benefit

  Muscle soreness after exercise¹⁴

  In young men, taking oat protein for 19 days eased muscle soreness and swelling after downhill running.

• Benefit

  Blood vessel inflammation¹⁵

  In people with high cholesterol, eating oat porridge daily lowered several signs of inflammation and boosted antioxidant levels.

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Muscle wasting¹⁹

  In lab studies, oat beta-glucan helped muscle cells grow and reduced signs of muscle breakdown.

• Benefit

  Blood sugar after eating²⁰

  In lab studies, oat phenolics slowed how much glucose moved through intestinal cells, which may affect blood sugar.

• Benefit

  Blood sugar in diabetes²¹

  In diabetic mice, oat beta-glucan lowered blood sugar and improved how well the body handled it.

Study type not stated

• Benefit

  Gut bacteria balance¹⁷

  Oats feed gut bacteria and may boost helpful kinds, but scientists do not yet know the full picture.

Allergies and intolerances

These are about people with an allergy, an intolerance or coeliac disease. The signal is about the ingredient itself, and these are about the person eating it, so the signal does not count them.

• Celiac diet tolerance⁶

  Most people with celiac disease tolerate oat, but some may react badly to it.

• Celiac disease symptoms⁷

  In people with celiac disease, some oat types worsened gut symptoms, but most studies found no change.

How it’s made and used

• Urine markers of grain¹²

  Avenacoside-B and -A from oats show up in urine within hours, so they may help tell whether someone ate oats.

• Starch digestion¹⁶

  How the body digests oat starch can change when the oat starch is modified or mixed with other ingredients.

• Compounds causing bitterness¹⁸

  In lab studies, certain fats and saponins in oat flour were found to cause its bitter taste.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.