Rebecca S. Mathews, R Mathews & Associates, Hudson, Ohio, U.S.A.
OATS: Chemistry and Technology, Second Edition
Pages 275-300
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/9781891127649.013
ISBN: 978-1-891127-64-9
Abstract
Research on the health benefits of oats has been accumulating over the last three decades. A significant amount of this work has effectively documented the hypocholesterolemic properties of oats. New data suggest that the cardiovascular benefits of oats extend beyond cholesterol-lowering by positively impacting blood glucose, body weight, and blood pressure. Emerging also is an entire body of research on the health-promoting attributes of whole grains, of which whole oats are an important component. Increased whole-grain consumption is associated with reduced risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), diabetes, obesity, and certain cancers.
Consumers reap the advantages of consuming oats only if they are made aware of the healthful value of oat products through truthful labeling and advertising. One way of communicating the health value of oats is through the use of evidence-based health claims within appropriate regulatory frameworks. Substantiated health claims educate the consumer on the important relationship between diet and disease prevention and promote healthy eating behavior. They are also powerful marketing tools for the oat food manufacturer.
Oat products are currently available in several forms—as individual foods or as food ingredients that include whole oats, oat bran, oat flour, oat bran concentrates, and oat β-glucan extracts or gums. In communicating the health benefits of an oat product, one must consider several factors before deciding what claims should or can appear on the label. An evaluation of existing government-regulated health claims is necessary to determine whether an oat product is eligible to bear any of the authorized claims. This chapter reviews health-related claims permitted within the United States and summarizes the type of data required to substantiate each type of claim. It also reviews oat-specific and whole-grain research data in each of the emerging areas related to blood glucose regulation, weight maintenance, and blood pressure to assess the strength of the evidence for potential health claims. The amount and quality of the data determine the type of health claim that may be made or whether a health claim is feasible at all.
The United States was the first country to approve a health claim between β-glucan soluble fiber from oats and the reduced risk of heart disease. Whole-grain claims related to chronic disease risk were also first introduced here. Oat and/or whole-grain claims are now being reported in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Netherlands, France, and Malaysia. Other countries have been slower to follow suit, in part because the regulatory framework for risk-reduction health claims, and health claims in general, has not been adequately established. This will likely change as more nations implement guidelines and regulations in this area.
