Oat beta-glucan, Improve your Cardiovascular Health!

According to the "China Cardiovascular Health and Disease Report 2021" released in 2022, the incidence and fatality rate of cardiovascular diseases remain at the top of the list. In 2019, rural and urban cardiovascular diseases accounted for 46.74% and 44.26% of the causes of death, respectively, and 2 out of every 5 deaths died from cardiovascular diseases.

Unreasonable diet structure is an important factor affecting cardiovascular health. Analyzing data from 110,497 individuals in the UK Biobank who completed at least two to five dietary assessments, Rebecca K. Kelly, PhD, and her team at the University of Oxford, found that for every additional 5 g of dietary fiber consumed per day, the risk of total cardiovascular disease decreased by 4%.

Picture Source: PIXABAY

Dietary fiber refers to food components that are not digested and absorbed, and can play a protective role in cardiovascular disease by regulating blood sugar, lowering cholesterol, improving intestinal flora, and reducing body weight. Among them, oat β-glucan is a water-soluble dietary fiber derived from oats, with β-1, 3-glucan and β-1, 4-glucan linear chain structure, which is considered to be a dietary component beneficial to cardiovascular disease.

The benefits of oat beta-glucan on cardiovascular disease are mainly reflected in the following aspects.

1. reduce cholesterol and regulate blood lipids.

Dyslipidemia is most closely associated with cardiovascular disease. Oat β-glucan can absorb cholesterol after water absorption and reduce the content of cholesterol entering the blood. In addition, it has the ability to adsorb bile acid, so that it is excreted with the stool through the gastrointestinal peristalsis, so that the cholesterol in the blood is consumed to supplement the cholic acid, so that the cholesterol content in the blood is greatly reduced, which helps to prevent cardiovascular diseases such as ischemic heart disease.

In 1997, the US FDA declared that "oats are a saturated fat and low cholesterol food, and the daily intake of 3 grams of beta-glucan can reduce the concentration of serum lipids, thereby reducing the risk of coronary heart disease."

The European Union approved the health claim for oat beta-glucan in 2011: Oat beta-glucan has been shown to reduce blood cholesterol, high cholesterol is a risk factor for the development of coronary heart disease.

2. Regulate blood sugar and maintain blood sugar balance.

High blood sugar can affect the blood vessels, nerves and muscles of the heart. Oat β-glucan absorbs water and expands easily. Mixed with chyme, oat β-glucan can promote gastrointestinal peristalsis, make food pass through the intestine quickly, and reduce the absorption of glucose. It can also reduce the secretion of intestinal hormones such as glucagon, reduce insulin release, increase the sensitivity of surrounding insulin receptors, strengthen glucose metabolism, reduce blood sugar concentration, and thus reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease caused by high blood sugar.

3.increase satiety, improve weight.

Obesity is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Oat β-glucan is sticky after water absorption, occupying a larger space in the stomach and intestine when wrapped in food, increasing satiety, and reducing the intake of calorie-containing food through satiety, thus achieving weight loss; In addition, oat β-glucan has a strong adsorption capacity for oil, so that it is discharged with feces, reducing the digestion and absorption of fat, and thus has a positive effect on preventing obesity.

4. Prevent intestinal diseases and maintain intestinal health.

The gut microbiota is closely related to the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases, and the gut microbiota and its metabolites influence cardiovascular diseases through lipid metabolism, genetic susceptibility and neuroregulatory system. Oat β-glucan can improve the composition of microbial flora in the colon. Intestinal flora can decompose nutrients in dietary fiber into short-chain fatty acids. These short-chain fatty acids can be used as the energy source and nutritional basis for colon cell regeneration, help maintain intestinal health, improve immunity, and inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria, so as to maintain intestinal health. And ultimately play a role in cardiovascular disease.

Overall, there is a strong relationship between oat beta-glucan and cardiovascular health. The rich beta-glucan content of oats can help improve cholesterol levels, promote blood vessel health, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, protect the heart and many other aspects. Especially for some high-risk groups, more intake of oat beta-glucan food is conducive to improving cardiovascular health. Therefore, we can consider increasing the intake of such foods in our daily diet to better protect our cardiovascular health.