The Truth About Oats (6 Claims Fact-Checked)

Dr. Ruth Machin makes it simple:

Pleasant food

Firstly, let’s note that oats have sometimes been called a “peasant food”, and in the West this typically has negative connotations. However, the word “peasant” originally means just someone who lives in the countryside (from Anglo-French “paisant”, as per “pais”, “country”). In other words, often a lot healthier food than what one gets in cities.

But how to oats stand up to scientific scrutiny, on the main talking points often brought to bear when it comes to discussion of oats?

• “Oats are a superfood”: “superfood” is a marketing term, not a scientific one, so this one can’t really be backed up by science per se, but they certainly are good. All that said, decades of research show that your overall dietary pattern, rather than any single food, determines health outcomes, so oats should be judged on their own merits.
• “Oats lower cholesterol”: β-glucan, the soluble fiber in oats, helps lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol by increasing its removal from the body. Studies also link oat consumption with lower triglycerides, blood pressure, obesity, and all-cause mortality, especially as part of an overall heart-healthy diet.
• “Oats spike blood sugar”: oats do raise blood glucose, but this is a normal physiological response in healthy people rather than a health problem. Current evidence does not support the idea that these short periods of elevated glucose cause type 2 diabetes, with excess visceral fat and insulin resistance being the main drivers.
  • It’s worth noting that less-processed oats, such as steel-cut oats, jumbo rolled oats, and oat bran, are higher in fiber and produce a smaller blood sugar rise than intant/quick oats. Pairing them with healthy fats and berries creates a more balanced breakfast too.
• “Oats aren’t gluten-free”: oats are naturally gluten-free but it’s still good to check labels if you have an allergy, as they are often contaminated with wheat, barley, or rye during harvesting and processing.
• “Oats contain anti-nutrients”: oats contain phytates, which can reduce the absorption of iron and zinc, but the real-world impact is usually negligible in the context of a balanced diet. Soaking can help in a lot of cases, but in oats specifically this has limited effect because they naturally contain very little of the enzyme that breaks phytates down.
• “Oats contain glyphosate”: oats can contain glyphosate residues because in some places it’s used before harvest. Regulators may consider the detected levels safe depending on your area, but going for “organic” oats is a simple way to reduce exposure, if this is a concern.

For on all all of this plus links to the sources for the science, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

You might also like:

• What Two Days Of Oats Will Do To Your Lipids
• Raw vs Cooked Oats: Two Very Different Health Impacts
• The Best Kind Of Fiber For Overall Health? ← spoiler: it’s β-glucan

Take care!