Oat bran: what it is and how it helps you

If porridge, muesli and overnight oats have brought oat flakes to the pantries of any lover of healthy cooking, some diets and the desire to take care of oneself have done the same with the oat brananother of the usual presentations of this cereal so appreciated for its multiple properties and benefits.

In fact, along with the flakes, oat bran is one of the easiest oat products to find in any supermarket, but there are so many ways in which we can find oats that sometimes it can be difficult to clarify exactly what each thing is. Do you know what oat bran is? How is it different from rolled oats or oatmeal and what is it used for? What are its properties? If you have any inconvenience?

What is oat bran and what is it for?

Oat bran is the small skin with which the oat grain is coveredwhich is separated to be used as a nutritional supplement and added to juices, smoothies, yogurts, soups, doughs or even salads.

As a nutritional supplementoat bran is mainly used as fiber source. A large part of the fiber that the cereal provides, both soluble and insoluble, is concentrated in the bran. Highlights your rich in beta-glucans, one of the fibers responsible for the benefits of oats. It also contains abundant B vitamins and minerals such as iron, phosphorus and potassium.

The whole oats it preserves the bran, either whole grain or flaked, but in non-whole grain versions of oats the bran is removed when husking the grain to obtain the refined cereal.

Properties and benefits

In general, oat bran has properties similar to those of whole grain or flaked oats. It is a food rich in fiber and protein that provides a good amount of antioxidants and micronutrients: minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and iron, trace elements such as selenium and manganese, and group B vitamins, vitamin E and vitamin K.

However, by having a higher concentration of fiber and some of these nutrients allows you to obtain benefits by taking less, as a dietary supplement. Of course, you can take advantage of the properties of oats by simply consuming oat flakes regularly in the usual portions.

Among the most recognized benefits of oat bran we find:

1. Lowers cholesterol

Due to its richness in beta-glucans, a soluble fiber that absorbs and drags bile acids from the intestine that synthesize cholesterol, oat bran helps reduce blood cholesterol levels.

According to a report prepared by the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) based on several reviews of studies on the effect of oats on cholesterol, to achieve significant benefits in reducing LDL cholesterol, it is necessary to consume about 3 g of beta-glucans daily for several weeks.

To get 3 grams of beta-glucans daily, it is enough to consume about 40 grams of bran daily. You can also get the same amount of beta-glucans with 75 g of rolled oats.

2. Relieves constipation

Oat fiber, concentrated in the bran, affects the motility of the small intestine and increases the viscosity of the stool in the large intestine, which helps to relieve constipation. In a study carried out by the University of Vienna, the consumption of oat bran for twelve weeks reduced the use of laxatives in geriatric patients.

But according to a more recent review of studies published in Food, Science and Technologythis effect on constipation is just one of the benefits of oat bran for gastrointestinal health.

3. Strengthens the intestinal microbiota

The soluble fiber in oats ferments in the intestine, favoring the production of butyric acid and other acids that have a protective effect on the colon and help prevent inflammatory bowel diseases, as stated in a study published in 2020 by Swedish researchers in Crohns&Colitis.

It also improves the composition of the intestinal microbiota, favoring the growth of beneficial bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli.

According to another even more recent study published in Frontiers in Immunologythis effect on the microbiota would also contribute, together with the carryover effect of the fiber, to the improvement in cholesterol levels after the consumption of oats.

The researchers also point out that the benefits for the microbiota are more accentuated when the bran is consumed of oats than when taking the flakes.

3. Regulates sugar levels

Reduce glycemic response of the body when carbohydrate-rich foods are eaten prevents glucose spikes and improves insulin sensitivity in the long term. By reducing the glycemic response, oat bran thus contributes to protecting against type II diabetes.

In a review of studies published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutritionthe researchers concluded that eating whole grain or flaked oats with at least 4 grams of beta-glucans before a meal with 30-80 grams of carbohydrates significantly reduced the postprandial glucose levels.

4. Helps control weight

Oat bran beta-glucans prolong shelf life. Feeling full thanks that delay gastric emptying and, consequently, increase the interaction with cells that release hormones that regulate appetite.

These satiating properties, recently reviewed in Nutrition Reviewsthey make the oat bran useful in diets to lose weight or weight control diets.

5. It is a good source of vegetable protein

Oat bran has a slightly higher protein concentration than flaked oats, which is why it is used to enrich some recipes with protein, including a variety of doughs.

For every 100 grams of oat bran you get 17.3 grams of protein (full oats, with their 16.9 grams of protein, aren’t far behind).

6. It is rich in antioxidants

Although the concentration of antioxidants is slightly higher in whole oats than in oat bran, it still provides a high amount of polyphenols called avenanthramides (between 1.3 and 12.5 mg per 100 g depending on the type of avenanthramide).

Avenanthramides are considered anti-inflammatory and are, together with beta-glucans, the compounds responsible for the main benefits of oats.

According to a study by British researchers published in Molecular Nutrition and Food ResearchFurthermore, the avenanthramides from oat bran are assimilated particularly well, faster than the polyphenols from other cereals.

Oat bran or oat flakes, which is better?

The oatmeal It is the complete cereal, which in its integral version includes the bran or fiber, and we can find it in many different ways.

The purest form is in grain, to cook like any cereal, but the most common is to find it in the form of flakes, much more practical when it comes to including oats in the diet. There are many types of flakes, of different thickness and that require more or less soaking, but all of them They are obtained by flattening the grain of the previously cooked cereal steamed.

He oat bran it’s just the husk, the waste product obtained from refining the grain. Has a higher fiber concentration than the whole grain, also protein, slightly, and some minerals and vitamins, but in turn is devoid of others.

In general, bran provides, compared to grain or flaked oats:

More fiber: Both oats and bran can be considered rich in fiber, satiating and useful for regulating intestinal transit, but oats provide about 10.6 grams of fiber per 100 grams, while bran provides about 15.4 grams.More protein: The contribution is slightly higher in oat bran: 16.9 g per 100 grams compared to 16.3 g for whole oats.More beta-glucans: The beta-glucan content depends a lot on the way the bran is processed, but in general, since beta-glucans are a type of fiber and fiber is concentrated in the bran, oat bran is more concentrated in beta-glucans than rolled oats.More minerals: Rolled oats and bran provide similar amounts of calcium and iron, but bran is slightly richer in some minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium; also in some B vitamins.Less fat: When separating the shell from the grain, part of the endosperm is lost, where the healthy fats of oats are concentrated. Still, oat bran is only slightly lower in fat than oat flakes or whole grains.Less carbohydrates: Also part of the carbohydrates is removed digestible, hence low-carbohydrate diets such as the Dukan diet do not recommend oats but oat bran, to introduce fiber into the diet without excessively increasing the intake of carbohydrates.Fewer calories: By having less fat and carbohydrates, oat bran provides fewer calories (about 246 per 100 grams compared to 389 calories for oats). But we must remember that those extra calories provided by oats come from complex carbohydrates, essential in a balanced diet.

Although on balance it appears that bran is more complete than oats, It does not cease to be a part of the grain and is consumed in smaller quantities than rolled oats.

Due to its nutritional profile, oat bran is very practical to take as a supplementif you want to increase the consumption of fiber or beta-glucans, but the ideal is to obtain the fiber and other necessary nutrients by including abundant foods rich in fiber and these nutrients, such as oats, in the diet.

As the researcher Micaela Karlsen says in an article published in Health & Nutrition Letterfrom Tufts University in the United States. comparing oat bran to whole oats is like comparing your finger to your hand. “Which is better?” asks the researcher. “With one finger you can type a number on the phone, but with your hand you can type the number on the phone and grab a fork.”

How to take oat bran

Oat bran is usually sold in diet and health food stores, but it is also easily found in supermarkets.

can be added to yogurts and shakes as a nutritional supplement.

Another option is to use it in healthy pastry doughsuch as cookies, muffins, pancakes, crepes, or breads.

Oat bran too you can cook, adding boiling water and a little salt and letting it boil over a very low heat so that it acquires the consistency of porridge. Then, if you wish, you can add cinnamon and a little fruit or honey or another healthy sweetener.

contraindications

Being very rich in fiber, bran can produce gastrointestinal discomfort if consumed in excess or you are not used to high fiber intake. If this is the case and you want to introduce oat bran into your diet, the general recommendation is to do it little by little.

Furthermore, for his phytate content (0.6 to 1.5%) oat bran may slightly interfere with the calcium absorptionSo the experts…