1. Your Total and āBadā Cholesterol Levels May DropOpting for a daily bowl of oatmeal instead of a pastry or sugar-laden cereal can lower your total blood cholesterol levels, particularly the ābad/unhealthy cholesterolā called low-density lipoprotein (LDL).
LDL is the primary contributor to the formation of plaqueāa sticky, thick substance comprised of cholesterol, fat, calcium, and inflammatory cells. Over time, plaque deposits build up within arterial walls, causing them to harden, stiffen, and narrow.
This slow accumulation of arterial plaque is a process called atherosclerosis. When atherosclerosis affects the coronary arteries, which supply the heart muscle with oxygen-rich blood, it can lead to coronary artery disease.
The classic symptom of coronary artery disease is chest discomfort (angina). However, sometimes, no symptoms are present until a heart attack occurs, which is when blood flow to the heart muscle is cut off.
2. Your Body Weight and Waistline May Decrease
Oatmealās high fiber (beta-glucan) content helps with weight loss, especially around your waistline and stubborn belly fat:
By forming a thick, sticky lining throughout the gut, beta-glucan slows digestion, curbing hunger pangs and helping you eat less.
Experts also suspect that beta-glucan may stimulate the release of these appetite-reducing hormonesāleptin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), and peptide YY (PYY)āwhich signal to your brain that you are āfull.
When oatmeal is consumed regularly, the aforementioned mechanisms can reduce a personās daily caloric intake.
With lower calorie intake, stored fat is burned off, especially around the waistline, where metabolically active visceral fat cells are located and are generally the first to be lost.
3. Your Blood Pressure May Be Lower
The benefit of regular oatmeal consumption on blood pressure is less robust than that seen with cholesterol and weight management.
While some studies have found a link between oat consumption and reduced blood pressure, others have not.
These mixed findings are likely due to various study differences, such as:
Type and amount of oat-beta-glucan consumed
Study timeline and populationāfor example, whether the participants had normal or high blood pressure to begin with
Know that while the link between oatmeal and blood pressure is further sorted out, consuming oatmeal certainly wonāt harm your blood pressureāand its other heart-healthy bonuses are too great not to embrace.
4. Your Blood Sugar Control May Improve
Oats contain avenanthramides, a unique group of compounds found exclusively in oats.
Avenanthramides have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that promote arterial health and reduce insulin resistance via multiple pathways, including encouraging glucose (sugar) uptake by the liver and blocking the production of new glucose.13
Studies show that eating oats lowers both fasting and postprandial (after-meal) sugar (glucose) levels.1415
Fasting blood glucose is measured after an 8 to 12-hour fast (no food or drinks, except water).
Postprandial blood glucose is measured 2 hours after eating a meal.
High fasting blood glucose levels are the main indicators used for diagnosing diabetes; however, elevated postprandial blood glucose is also associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease.16
Individuals with diabetes have twice the risk of developing heart disease, due to the damage elevated blood glucose levels inflict on arteries.17 This glucose-induced damage accelerates atherosclerosis, making a person more vulnerable to coronary artery disease.
How Does Regular Oatmeal Intake Lower LDL Levels?
Oatmealās LDL-lowering effect is believed to be primarily due to its high beta-glucan content.18 Beta-glucan is a type of fiber that, when ingested, creates a slimy, thick gel in your digestive tract. This gel-like substance coats your gut and binds to cholesterol, preventing it from entering your bloodstream.
In addition, emerging scientific evidence suggests that beta-glucan alters the gut microbiome (the community of microbes in the gut), enabling more efficient LDL cholesterol metabolism, allowing LDL levels to be further reduced in the bloodstream.18