As with any product that enters the body by one route or another, oats are no exception to the possibility of causing disadvantages or side effects, so before starting a sustained consumption it is highly recommended to be well informed of the possible drawbacks.
Index
- 1 What damage can be caused by oats?
- 2 Who must not consume Oats?
- 3 Related Entries:
What damage can be caused by oats?
Although oats are one of the most consumed cereals in the world and regardless of being supported by scientific articles and journals, we must always be careful and adopt some preventive measures since there are some voices in the world of biological nutrition that are warning us about certain aspects about oats.
Why does it produce stomach swelling?
Although this is not common among healthy adults, oats can produce some gastric swelling. This effect can simply be triggered by a sudden change in our diet, like going from eating not much fiber to eating a lot of oats without a smooth transition. In this case, the swelling can also cause pain and discomfort due to abdominal cramps and flatulence.
To avoid this problem, we must lower the amount of oats that we eat and increase it gradually until we achieve a proper dose according to our objectives.
In this way, the intestinal flora will progressively absorb the new nutrients from the diet until the situation is balanced.
However, a maladjustment to an excess of fiber is not the only factor that can trigger stomach swelling. Sometimes it happens because there is an intolerance to prolamins, the proteins from oats, or it can simply be another symptom of chronic dyspepsia (bad digestions).
A tip that can help to prevent this possible but improbable side effect is to consume oats that have been finely ground and which are mixed with ferments or digestive enzymes. Another one is, in the case of oat flakes, to soak them in water the night before you plan to eat them in order to buffer the acidity of the grains and to enhance the enzymes, which will result in a smoother digestion.
Gas accumulation caused by oats
Fiber is an element that supports the digestion process, even though it is not completely digested. After going through the stomach and the small intestine, it reaches the large intestine, more specifically the colon, whose bacteria (Bacterioid and Bifidubacterium genus) break down the fiber. This produces gas: always carbon dioxide and hydrogen, sometimes methane and sulphide as well. What happens is that, when these gases are retained, their accumulation causes bloating. In this situation, it is likely to suffer stomach pain caused by the pressure of this gas mass on the walls of the stomach and intestine.
In relation to this process, oats, being high in both fibre soluble and insoluble, are susceptible to causing gas accumulation if consumed in excess. In fact, foods rich in soluble fibre, such as oat flour, generate more gas than those with a predominantly insoluble composition, such as wheat semolina or brown rice.
But there are ways to prevent these gas:
- A very effective one is to add oats gradually to our diet and to go from an intake of 55gr daily to 85g of dietary fiber in ten days. In this way, we will be able to observe how our body responds.
- Another one could be soaking the oats properly in order to denature the proteins that are more difficult to digest and combine it with digestive enzymes products that can be purchased in specialized shops.
- If you cannot avoid the production of gas, take a simethicone product which can be bought without medical prescription and which will merge the gas bubbles in order to reduce the flatulence.
Who must not consume Oats?
Diabetes
Diabetic patients must take preventive measures when it comes to eating oats due to their high percentage of Carbohydrates, although these are of low glycemic index. In any case, they must measure the daily intake of carbohydrates thoroughly, looking for different ways to include oats in their diet without any issue.
Anemia
Iron deficiency anaemia, which is caused by iron deficiency, is a serious obstacle to the consumption of oats in oat bran form, as this food impedes the complete absorption of iron from the intestinal tract into the bloodstream.
Celiac disease
Those who are celiac or gluten intolerant are not allowed to consume oats in any shape or form. Oats lack this crucial protein fraction. But it must be taken into account that it is extremely complicated to prevent oats from being contaminated with other cereals during the manufacturing process. This makes it extremely hard to ensure a lack of gluten; let’s not forget that intolerant people react adversely even with just a milligram of this substance.
However, there are manufacturers who establish a rigorous traceability control from origin to sales that allows them the right to label oats as gluten-free; except in these circ*mstances, an intolerant person should avoid eating oats.
The problem of cross-contamination with other cereals requires, in order to avoid it, a standardised protocol of control measures for the whole process of technological treatment, for which many companies are not sufficiently prepared.
Intestine patients
This section refers to those who are affected by enterocolitis, Crohn’s disease or diverticulitis, among other diseases. They must avoid consuming specifically oat bran which is a food susceptible to aggravating these pathologies.
Apart from chronic processes, we should also stop eating oats if we are suffering diarrhea or gastroenteritis until we recover.
Allergy to oats
Allergy to oats triggers an anomalous reaction of the immune system which treats oat proteins as if they were antigens and, consequently, as if they were substances with the ability to cause an infection in the organism. The body stars producing specific antibodies against allergies, which are type E immunoglobulins and histamine, a substance that is released in high quantities in the blood flow. This results in a symptomatology that usually affects the digestive system with irritation of the mucosa, pain and bloating.
The intensity of these allergic reactions to oats can range from mild to moderate to severe, so consumption of oats can become a serious health problem in hypersensitive people.
Oat protein intolerants
Even though they may look the same, it is a different situation from the previous one. Intolerance to oats consists of the inability of the digestive system to absorb and break down the proteins from oats. Unlike what happens with an allergy, even though if it is very similar, it is not trigger by a reaction of the immune system. Rather, it comes from a genetic lack of the specific enzymes in order to break down these proteins.
Related Entries:
- Visit HSN if you want to purchase oats of the best quality and in different formats.
- Do you know when and how to take oats to make the most of them? We tell you everything
- Are you celiac and you do not know if you can eat oats? Click here
- Oat Flour: Properties and types
