So are oats really that good for you?

Even three years ago there was not as much food or advertising about oats and wholegrain as there is now.

So is there anything to this whole thing about oats being good for you?

Recent studies published in the journal, Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, from Germany have reinforced that oats have the ability to lower bad cholesterol (Low Density Lipo-proteins – LDLs) by binding up bile acids.

Oats also have an anti-inflammatory effect against the inflammation that can be caused by high cholesterol levels.

On top of this, the anti-oxidative capacity of oats can lower hypertension (high blood pressure), obesity and diabetes.

Of the hypertensive patients in the study, 73 percent of them could have had their blood pressure medication reduced after eating meals containing oats. Only 42 percent of those eating the control cereal meals were able to have their medication reduced. This shows convincingly that consuming oats does reduce blood pressure when compared to other cereal types.

Oats are of particular interest to researchers because they are easy to prepare and eat. Little processing is required to make them both edible and easy to use. Rolled oats are both easy to produce and easy for consumers to use.

It is this unique property that makes oats the cereal of choice at the moment for food manufacturers. This can be seen by the sheer number of advertisements now out there for products that contain oats and other wholegrains.

A simple indication of this is the number of quick porridge products and wholegrain foods that are now available.

So oats are good for us and food businesses are now developing and selling product to meet this increasing customer requirement. It is just another example of how the market is an important driver of the food industry.