The fiber beta-glucan in oats is good for the intestines, lowers blood sugar and cholesterol levels, has an anti-inflammatory effect and thus prevents diabetes and other diseases of civilization. Recommendations for dealing with the super flake.
Oats help diabetics and prevent health problems.
Porridge in the morning, at lunch and in the evening. Without milk. Without fruit. Sugar-free. Only with water or vegetable broth. No snacks. What sounds like prison food has given a 73-year-old diabetic a new life.
The woman was overweight and had type 2 diabetes, which had progressed to the point where she had to inject herself with insulin. According to her doctor Matthias Riedl, she urgently needs to lose weight in order to improve her sugar metabolism.
The woman was caught in a vicious circle: If you are overweight, your body needs more insulin – but this inhibits fat burning. Those affected continue to gain weight, and this in turn worsens the disease. An important step in treating type 2 diabetes is therefore losing weight.
How the body’s own insulin works – and when it stops working
If our blood sugar levels rise after eating, the pancreas releases insulin. The hormone transports sugar from the blood to the cells. For example, if you eat too much sugar or white flour products, you can throw the system out of control. The blood sugar level then increases too often and too quickly. Over time, insulin becomes increasingly unable to fulfill its task; this is referred to as insulin resistance. Diabetes develops when the body’s own insulin can no longer remove blood sugar. The long-term consequences of constantly elevated blood sugar levels are vascular and nerve damage.
But nutritional therapies did not work for the patient. Her doctor finally advised her to have regular oat days. Every month, the diabetic ate nothing but porridge for three consecutive days. Because the amount of insulin injected must be changed during this time, diabetes patients should only do this in consultation and with the supervision of their doctor.
Oats reduce the use of medications
“With this measure, my patient lost weight, was able to halve her insulin dosage and greatly improved her quality of life,” says her doctor: Matthias Riedl, nutritional doctor, diabetologist, medical director of the Medical Care Center Medicum Hamburg and author of numerous popular science guides on healthy eating, including “ The Oat Master Plan».
In his work, Riedl has accompanied many people who became healthier when they started eating oatmeal regularly. The emphasis is on “healthier”. Oats are not a miracle cure either and cannot simply magic away serious, chronic illnesses. But the grain can reduce symptoms and thus the use of medication.
What the nutritional doctor experiences again and again during his consultation is supported by scientific findings. Studies show that oat-only days can significantly reduce blood sugar levels in diabetes patients. Matthias Riedl says: “The positive effect lasts up to three weeks after the oat treatment.” Many of his patients lose weight because oats provide a long-lasting feeling of satiety.
Oats are one of the healthiest grains, if not number one, says Laura Nyström, professor of food biochemistry at ETH Zurich. If you have no health problems and eat oats regularly, According to studies, people are less likely to develop diabetes. This is due to its nutrient profile.
With almost 7 grams per 100 grams of oats, the grain provides a comparatively high amount of fat. But it is largely unsaturated fatty acids that have a positive effect on health.
The carbohydrates from oats are mostly long chain. This means: They only raise blood sugar slightly and ensure long-lasting satiety because they are slowly broken down by the body.
In addition to fat, protein, carbohydrates and fiber, oats also contain many vitamins, minerals and trace elements: B vitamins, magnesium, phosphorus and iron, to name just a few.
However, the daily dose of important ingredients such as iron cannot be absorbed from a bowl of oatmeal in the morning. This is also because the so-called phytic acid in oats inhibits the absorption of iron and other minerals and trace elements such as zinc. A few tricks help.
You should soak the flakes in water or milk for at least half an hour. According to Riedl, this improves tolerance and makes it easier to absorb minerals and trace elements. Soaking reduces the phytic acid content – the body can utilize the substances better. You can also add foods containing vitamin C, such as apples, to your muesli to support iron absorption.
Beta-glucan: a little helper for health
The most important ingredient in oats is another one anyway, namely beta-glucan. This fiber prevents blood sugar levels from rising sharply and helps keep blood cholesterol levels within normal ranges. Because this is scientifically proven, Manufacturers can even advertise with it.
Many of the health-promoting effects of oats can be attributed to this ingredient. And it’s not just diabetics who benefit from beta-glucan.
Matthias Riedl also recommends oat cures to patients with other complaints and gives a few examples: “The fiber, which also includes beta-glucan, helps with intestinal problems because it promotes the proliferation of useful intestinal bacteria. Beta-glucan also has an anti-inflammatory effect and therefore counteracts inflammatory diseases such as rheumatism. It also lowers cholesterol and blood sugar levels and therefore helps with high blood pressure.”
But in what form should you eat the grain to get the most health benefits? In general, the coarser the product, the better it is for your health. Our digestive enzymes then take longer to break down the oats. This helps so that the blood sugar level rises even less quickly.
This means that with coarsely chopped grain – so-called oat groats – the blood sugar level rises rather slowly, while with finely ground oat flour it rises comparatively quickly. And coarse oat flakes are slightly more beneficial than fine ones. Matthias Riedl says about the flakes: “The difference is not that big. Eat the flakes that taste better to you.”
Oat trend with growth potential
Oats are not only healthy, but also trendy – you might think. Social networks and blogs are flooded with recipes for overnight oats – oat flakes that have been soaked overnight and beautifully garnished with fresh fruit. Using the hashtag “Oatzempic,” people report on the Tiktok platform about the positive effects of their oat meals. The hashtag alludes to the diabetes drug Ozempic, which many people also use to lose weight.
“I’m happy about the hype,” says Matthias Riedl. But is it really one? On average, Germans and Swiss eat around 4 kilograms of oats per year. For comparison: In both countries, each person consumes an average of 70 kilograms of wheat per year.
According to Riedl, it is ideal to consume three to four grams of beta-glucan per day. There are around 4.5 grams of beta-glucan in 100 grams of flakes. So you should eat at least 70 grams of oatmeal. That would be 25 kilograms per year and around 500 grams per week – a whole pack from the supermarket. At least Matthias Riedl says he succeeds in this, but most other people don’t.
The doctor’s favorite prescription
Riedl tirelessly promotes the grain to his patients. If he can’t get her excited about the three-day radical treatment, he tries to smuggle the oats into her everyday life.
In his recipe book there are ideas for every meal imaginable, from muesli to oatmeal cookies to oat curry. His favorite recipe is a modern classic: “Coarse or fine oat flakes with low-fat cow’s milk, half an apple, some soft fruit, chia seeds and a small handful of nuts.” A real feast after a three-day oat diet.
Agriculture is preparing for the oat boom
Currently, farmers primarily plant and harvest Avena sativa, also known as seed oats. Humans have been using this variety for several thousand years. To date, oats have not been specifically modified using modern breeding methods. Because his genetic makeup had not yet been decoded until recently. An international research team changed that under the direction of Martin Mascher. He researches the genome of different types of grain at the Leibniz Institute for Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research.
“For a long time there was not much interest in researching oats because they were not particularly economically important,” he says. That has changed. The scientists were supported by agriculture ministries of various countries. According to Mascher, based on her work, in the future there could be varieties that are optimized for the production of creamy oat milk, for example. New varieties could also ensure higher yields and make the grain more available worldwide.