Oat products
Oats fulfill admirably the description of a functional food, as one that, in addition to providing all normal attributes of a food - basic sustenance, pleasing taste and texture - also confers a specific health benefit.
The outer layers of oats are similar to those of other cereals in being a good source of insoluble dietary fibre with the attendant capacity to improve colonic function and possibly reduce the risk of colon cancer. Many other functionally distinct components such as waxes, lignin, phytate, vitamins, minerals and phenolics concentrate in these layers. Some of these compounds are powerful antioxidants and may possess potent pharmacological properties.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the USA has recently allowed a health claim for an association between consumption of diets high in oatmeal, oat bran, or oat flour and reduced risk of coronary heart disease. This represents the first health claim for a specific food under the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (1990).The overall conclusion from the FDA review was that oats could indeed lower serum cholesterol levels, specifically low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, without change in the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) fraction; on this basis a health claim for reduced heart disease risk was allowed. The FDA has allowed that the main active ingredient, in this respect, is the soluble fibre (1->3) (1->4)-β-D-glucan, or β-glucan.