On Friday 15/9/2023 nearly 14 years to the day Kylie sat and listened to a webinar presented by 4 of the leaders in the Coeliac disease space.
This is her overview and comments on the information shared. If you haven't heard her story then please read here, she have been selling pure oats in Australia since 2009 after discovering pure oats a few years earlier in the US and met a family of Coeliac patients who had started the cause to show that oats grown in exclusive zones away from contamination were very beneficial to their diet. Like Kylie who was feeding her whole family gluten free she was looking for alternatives to the GMO corn & soy breakfast and snack options, realising this was not going to be a healthy option for her children. Oats were perfect.
Prof Sara Grafenauer led the charge introducing the Health Benefits of Oats to the Gluten Free Diet.
- the importance of whole grains in diets
- Oat anatomy
- Oats in farming
- Nutritional features & health
- Uncontaminated oats in diets
- Diet quality and quality of life
Sarah, highlighted finally that Oats don't contain gluten, the prolamine storage protein in oats is called 'Avenin' but this is at much lower levels (10-15%) compared with higher levels of gluten proteins in wheat, rye and barley. Oat Avenins Do NOT contain the coeliac disease epitopes from the gluten found in wheat, rye and barley. The main reason they have advised people not to eat oats is due to contamination.
I was excited to see them mention the Global Oats Protocol and how important it is to protect contamination from Seed, Growth, Harvest, Processing, Transport and then into packaging. Unfortunately is doesn't seem they wish to adopt the Global protocol that has been operating for years but create their own. I don't find this necessary. (my opinion only, why invent the wheel?)
The main benefit to oats consumers is the increase in health benefits from soluble fibre & beta glucan. Soluble fibre represents approximately 55% of oat dietary fibre, the majority of which is beta glucan which digestion & absorption - attenuates blood cholesterol and glucose.
Link with health and disease:
Scientific research has suggested a relationship between oat fibre and the following health benefits:
- Decrease of total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels
- Maintenance of healthy blood glucose levels by stimalating a lower glycemic response
- Assistance with weight management/satiety
- Promotion of gut health/microbiome
Diet quality and quality of life summary
Inclusion of the uncontaminated oats may assist with diet quality and adherence to Gluten Free diets & Quality of Life. Taste and texture important considerations in planning therapeutic diets. Source of dietary fibre & whole grain - important considerations glycemic control, weight & cholesterol management, but also micronutrients - B vitamins, iron.
We have many more articles on our website sharing the health benefits of oats.
Following this was Dr Kim Faulkner-Hogg, Dietitian Coeliac Disease & Intolerance Dietitian. GlutenFreeNutrition.
PART 2 - Oats and the Gluten Free Story