National Oatmeal Month Brings Health Benefits

January is National Oatmeal Month, and while it may sound like a crazy awareness month, studies cited by the National Whole Grains Council show the multiple health benefits that can come from consuming oats:

• Eating oats helps lower LDL "bad" cholesterol and may help reduce the risk of heart disease.
  
• Oats help you feel fuller longer, which helps control your weight.
  
• Oatmeal and oats may help lower blood pressure.
  
• Oats may help reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes, since their soluble fiber helps control blood sugar.
  
• Oats help cut the use of laxatives, without the side effects associated with medications.
  
• Oats are high in beta-glucans, a kind of starch that stimulates the immune system and inhibits tumors. This may help reduce your risk of some cancers.
  
• Early introduction of oats in children's diets may help reduce their risk of asthma.
  
• Oats are higher in protein and healthy fats, and lower in carbohydrates than most other whole grains.
  
• Oats contain more than 20 unique polyphenols called avenanthramides, which have strong anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-itching activity.
  

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A full-service acute care facility committed to providing world-class healthcare and the latest technology, St. Tammany Parish Hospital delivers today’s life-improving procedures with the utmost care to area residents with emphasis on wellness, preventive care and disease management close to home. STPH is a self-supporting not-for-profit community hospital; it receives no tax funding. STPH.org