Publication: Urban Health (October 2014)

Section sponsored by: BIOGROW

Oat BG22™

Amazing Oat Fiber & Oat Beta-Glucan:

Health and Well-being Fit for the Whole Family

What is Dietary Fiber?

Dietary fiber is defined as the edible part of plants or similar carbohydrates (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin) that cannot be digested or absorbed by the small intestines. However, it can be partially or incompletely fermented in the large intestines.

Achieve Bowel Regularity with Oat Grain Fiber

According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the recommended daily intake of dietary fiber from cereal products in order for a person to achieve bowel regularity is 6 grams per day (EFSA, 2010 Appendix C, ID744).

Furthermore, an EFSA panel in 2011 concluded that intake of oat grain fibers (insoluble fibers) could increase faecal bulk which could help promote bacterial fermentation in the faeces. In order for a product to utilise this claim the food should be considered "high in fiber".

Oat soluble fibers can be dissolved in water. While in the intestine, oat soluble fibers attract water and together form into a gelatinous-like substance which slows digestion and delays stomach emptying. As a result, you achieve satiety faster, leaving you feeling full longer – this, which helps you to manage your weight. Soluble fibers, particularly oat beta-glucans have also been scientifically proven by over 30 clinical studies to help lower LDL ("bad") blood cholesterol by interfering with the absorption of dietary cholesterol.

Oat cereals and oat bran are known to contain high amounts of both insoluble (oat grain fiber) for the maintenance of gut health and soluble fiber (beta-glucans) for good cholesterol control.

Both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and EFSA concluded that at least 3g of beta-glucan from oats should be consumed daily to achieve a clinically relevant decrease in serum total cholesterol concentrations.

But are all oat beta-glucan products the same? As a matter of fact, they are not. When choosing the best source of oat beta-glucan, you should take into consideration two key aspects:

• whether the product contains the minimum recommended amount (3g) per day

• whether the ingested oat beta-glucans are "effective" enough to reduce cholesterol in the human body.

Did You Know?

Certain studies have shown that the efficacy of beta-glucan is influenced by its viscosity – amount which differs according to brand – and mainly governed by its molecular weight (MW) and solubility in the intestine. However, the MW and solubility of beta-glucan can be controlled and regulated through specific processing and storage during manufacturing (Tosh, 2008).

It's high time we start taking the initiative towards better, overall health.

If that isn't grim enough, more than 6.2 million Malaysians have high blood cholesterol levels of which more than 2.6 million aged 30 and above are diabetic largely as a result of a heavy cholesterol-driven, saturated fat-induced diet and poor lifestyle choices.

Start 'em young with oat beta-glucan

Make oat beta-glucan a smart diet choice for your whole family and protect your loved ones by giving them only the best in dietary fiber nutrition starting from TODAY!