oat bran

Once you have read this article, you will have the key to help you:-

Minimize your risk of diabetes, and at the same time reduce your risk of hormone dependent cancers (breast, prostate, colon).
Lower your blood cholesterol, and thus reduce your risk of heart disease.
Normalize your bowel bacteria thus giving your system powerful protection against intestinal infections and yeast infections in general, and giving your colon its preferred food- and also help reduce antisocial smells!
Reduce your dietary fat absorption by 10%
Stave off the hunger pangs when you are trying to diet.

Oat Bran is made up of the dehulled oat (or "groat"). It is not to be confused with the outer shell of the oat grain. It is full of nutrients. The fibre component is made up of:-

"Insoluble" fibre(4%)
(Insoluble fibre is the sort of fibre that does not dissolve or form a gel in water, and which even the bowel bacteria find impossible to digest).
"Soluble" fibre (4%)
(Soluble fibre does dissolve in water- usually forming a gel, is not digested by your digestive enzymes, but is used as food by certain bacteria).

Beta-Glucan The oat bran fibre has a chemical name: "Beta-glucan". Beta-glucan is a linear polysaccharide. Beta-glucan is the special health giving principle contained in oat bran.

Let us follow the career of oat bran as it traverses the digestive tract. I think that by the end of this article, you will be amazed that one food component can do so many good things! Events in the Stomach. Oat Bran Fibre in the stomach swells and absorbs water, thus giving a full feeling in the stomach. Wet Oat Bran Fibre also forms a gel, thus slowing gastric emptying, and lowering the glycemic (rise in blood sugar) effect of food eaten alongside of it. Events in the Small Intestine Oat Bran Fibre (as does all food fibre) increases the production of mucus (not known why). The extra mucus adds to the gelling effect of the Oat Bran Fibre, with the following effects:-

Slows mixing of digestive enzymes and bile acids with the intestinal contents
Slows the break down of lipid droplets.
Slows absorption by slowing the movement of intestinal contents. It thus take longer for absorbable nutrients to percolate toward the intestinal lining.
Increases the hormone cholecystokinine, a hormone which improves your feeling of satiety (that full feeling after a meal).
Up to 10% of dietary fat is actually excreted instead of absorbed.
Up to 10% of protein gets into the large bowel undigested.
Slows the digestion and of absorption of starches and sugars, thus reducing the blood glucose surge.

Note that all starches and sugars are absorbed by the time food passes into the large bowel. All this adds up to definite and measurable benefits: Just 40 grams per day of Oat Bran, containing 3.5 grams of fibre damps the hunger feeling. And even if you still consume the same total number of calories, you will achieve measurable weight loss! Events in the Large Intestine In the large bowel, Oat Bran Fibre is digested by bacteria into "short chain fatty acids" (SCFA for short). Mostly butyric acid. (Side comment: Other "soluble" dietary fibres such as Psyllium, Guargum, and Arabinoglucosan tend to be fermented into propionic acid). Oat Bran Fibre is thus a "pre-biotic": -

A Pre-biotic is a none-digestible food ingredient that beneficially affects the host by selectively stimulating the growth and/or activity of one or a limited number of bacteria in the colon.

Oat Bran Fibre specifically is food for, and increases the numbers of the good bacteria (Lactobacilli and Bifidobacterium) in the large bowel. In fact the total number of bacteria is increased so much that excess, or waste nitrogen goes into bacterial protein, thus diverting nitrogen excretion from the kidneys to the large bowel. That would certainly be of benefit for patients suffering renal failure. But here is where Oat Bran Fibre really starts to get healthy! The "SCFA's" produced by Oat Bran fermentation are antimicrobial! They inhibit the growth of potentially unhealthy or pathogenic bacteria and yeasts! This is probably due to the increase in colon acidity that they cause. (It is also theorized that some components of Oat Bran can bind with iron, thus making it less available to disease causing bacteria, which need iron to grow). Chart 1 shows the change in large bowel bacteria with aging. Note how the bad bacteria (Clostridium perfringens, E.coli and Streptococcus) increase with age, while Bifidobacterium decreases in number. From this chart, you can quickly understand why a pre-biotic such as Oat Bran Fibre is especially helpful for the middle aged or older.



Not only does the Butyric Acid SCFA inhibit pathogenic bacteria, it is also the preferred energy source for the cellular lining of the large bowel. Butyric acid provides up to 70% of the large bowel energy requirements. This energy source enables the colonic bacteria to better absorb water and sodium, thus combating diarrhoea! Oat Bran Fibre increases the total fecal wet weight and decreases total large bowel transit time. Both these effects are due to extra bacterial mass. Oat Bran Fibre reputedly produces less gas and flatulent smells than wheat bran, and this benefit is increased by cooking the Oat Bran Fibre. It's also a good safe laxative- even at up to 20 grams per day (though this would be an excessive amount to take!)

Proven Health Benefits for the whole Body:-

Smoothes blood glucose fluctuations.
Lowers cholesteral, especially "bad" (LDL) cholestral.
Aids dieting
Aids diabetics
Aids Renal patients
Provides slow release energy for endurance athletes and those who fast.
Helps with constipation.
Combats infections of the large bowel, and yeast infection of the bowel and skin of the "private parts".