Oats and Gastrointestinal Health – Summary of Studies
The health of the intestines is important to maintaining the integrity of the body's overall health. Adequate dietary fiber intake helps support a healthy gastrointestinal system and different types of fiber may support different functions. For example, adequate fiber intake helps maintain bowl regularity, which in turn, may help support the overall health of the gastrointestinal system.  Currently, only 5% of Americans meet the fiber intake recommendation from the Institute of Medicine.

A wide range of fiber sources, including cereal brans, such as oat bran, act to promote normal laxation. In addition, according to the National Institutes of health, a dominant theory of the cause of diverticular disease involves a low fiber diet. Moreover, the usual lifestyle change suggested to help manage this type of condition is consumption of a higher fiber diet. On a gram-for-gram basis, fibers which do not undergo fermentation in the colon and are generally insoluble, have a greater impact on maintaining healthy laxation compared to fermentable fibers. Conversely, fermentable soluble fibers are a potential energy source for intestinal bacteria which can produce short-chain fatty acids, the preferred energy source for colonic cells. The role of short-chain fatty acids in the long-term health of the gastrointestinal tract is an on-going area of research. The fiber in oats is composed of both soluble and insoluble fractions in an approximate ratio of about one-to-one.

Abrupt increases in the intake of dietary fiber may be associated with either increased flatulence and/or feelings of excessive abdominal fullness. Usually, these events are associated with intakes of fiber above those recommended as part of an overall healthy diet. Nevertheless, it is prudent to increase fiber intake up to the recommended amounts in a gradually fashion to allow time for the gastrointestinal tract to adapt. The American Dietetic Association advocates increasing dietary fiber intake gradually with a concomitant increase in fluid intake.

The following are selected published articles which address oats and gastrointestinal health.

Beta -glucans increase breath hydrogen and methane expiration in men and women
Behall, K.M., Scholfield, D.J., van der Sluijs, A.M.C., and Hallfrisch, J. Breath hydrogen and methane expiration in men and women after oat extract consumption. J. Nutr. 128:79-84, 1998.