Oatmeal shown to lower cholesterol and potentially stall diabetes

Berlin (dpa) – Whether plain with little more than a splash of milk or stirred through with any and all of yoghurt, honey, berries and seeds, a bowl of porridge or oatmeal has been lauded as a source of warming goodness and body fuel long before would-be health influencers latched on to it in pursuit of clicks and likes. In a revival of a cereal-based treatment for diabetes that was used a century ago but has since been overlooked, researchers at the University of Bonn have found further proof that when it comes to healthy eating, porridge is probably close to peerless. The team found a 10% cholesterol reduction among 32 volunteers who spent two days eating mostly oatmeal, which they were permitted to flavour with fruit or vegetables. The same level of reduction was not observed in a “control group” of 36 which was put on a “calorie-reduced diet” that did not feature oats. The participants “suffered from a metabolic syndrome associated with an increased risk of diabetes,” the team says, listing characteristics such as excess weight, high blood sugar and blood pressure. “We were able to identify that the consumption of oatmeal increased the number of certain bacteria in the gut,” says the University of Bonn’s Linda Klümpen.  “Intestinal bacteria produce phenolic compounds by breaking down the oats,” Klümpen says, pointing out that one such compound, ferulic acid, has been already shown in animals to help against cholesterol. Porridge appears to help develop other gut bacteria that get rid of an amino acid that the body otherwise changes into a molecule that the university described as “suspected of promoting insulin resistance.” The researchers said that it appears a short burst of eating porridge, such as the two days’ trial, works better than a sustained but less intensive effort such as a bowl a day over a longer period such as six weeks. “A short-term oat-based diet at regular intervals could be a well-tolerated way to keep the cholesterol level within the normal range and prevent diabetes,” says Bonn’s Marie-Christine Simon, pointing out that the effects of the two days’ oatmeal-only diet were being felt by volunteers six weeks later. The following information is not intended for publication dpa spr arw

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