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At Healthfully, we strive to deliver objective content that is accurate and up-to-date. Our team periodically reviews articles in order to ensure content quality. The sources cited below consist of evidence from peer-reviewed journals, prominent medical organizations, academic associations, and government data.
- MayoClinic.com: Thiamin(Thiamine)
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Folate
- Linus Pauling Institute: Micronutrient Information Center: Selenium
- Linus Pauling Institute: Micronutrient Information Center: Niacin
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Oats are hearty grains that grow in cool, wet climates. The American Heart Association acknowledges health benefits associated with eating whole grains such as oatmeal, including reduced risk of heart disease. Whether you prefer steel cut, "old-fashioned", regular, quick, or instant oats, you can rest assured you are eating a whole grain food. Oats are almost always processed with the germ, bran and endosperm intact, which makes oatmeal a highly nutritious choice. Oatmeal provides many vitamins are essential to healthy diet.
Thiamine
Thiamine is a water soluble B-vitamin necessary for nerve and muscle function, carbohydrate metabolism and as a component of various enzymes. You also need thiamine to produce stomach acid, which proves necessary for proper digestion of food. According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, oatmeal provides 15 percent of the recommended daily amount of thiamine.
Niacin
Oats & Carbohydrates
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A component of several enzymes, niacin helps to increase energy and metabolism.
Folate
Folate is a B-vitamin that increases the production and growth of cells. Folate proves necessary for red blood cell production and for the synthesis of DNA and RNA. According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, one cup of oatmeal provides 3.5 percent of the recommended daily amount of folate.
- Folate is a B-vitamin that increases the production and growth of cells.
- Folate proves necessary for red blood cell production and for the synthesis of DNA and RNA.
Selenium
What Are the Benefits of Vitamin B-1 or Thiamine?
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Although not a vitamin, selenium is an essential nutrient found in oatmeal. A serving of oatmeal provides 23 percent of the recommended amount of selenium for adults, according to the US Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database. Selenium is a trace element, meaning you only need a very small amount of it daily. Selenium is a necessary component of several important enzymes and also works as an antioxidant.
- Although not a vitamin, selenium is an essential nutrient found in oatmeal.
- Selenium is a trace element, meaning you only need a very small amount of it daily.
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References
- Whole Grains Council: Oats-January Grain of the Month
- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 23: Cereals, oats, regular and quick and instant, unenriched, cooked with water (includes boiling and microwaving)), without salt
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Folate
- Linus Pauling Institute: Micronutrient Information Center: Selenium
- Linus Pauling Institute: Micronutrient Information Center: Niacin
- Quick cooking oats. FoodData Central. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Updated 2019.
- Rebello CJ, Johnson WD, Martin CK, et al. Instant oatmeal increases satiety and reduces energy intake compared to a ready-to-eat oat-based breakfast cereal: A randomized crossover trial. J Am Coll Nutr. 2016;35(1):41-9. doi:10.1080/07315724.2015.1032442
- Mackie AR, Bajka BH, Rigby NM, et al. Oatmeal particle size alters glycemic index but not as a function of gastric emptying rate. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2017;313(3):G239-G246. doi:10.1152/ajpgi.00005.2017
- Blaszczyk U, Duda-Chodak A. Magnesium: Its role in nutrition and carcinogenesis. Rocz Panstw Zakl Hig. 2013;64(3):165-71.
- Roager HM, Vogt JK, Kristensen M, et al. Whole grain-rich diet reduces body weight and systemic low-grade inflammation without inducing major changes of the gut microbiome: A randomised cross-over trial. Gut. 2019;68(1):83-93. doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2017-314786
- Pazyar N, Yaghoobi R, Kazerouni A, Feily A. Oatmeal in dermatology: A brief review. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol. 2012;78(2):142-5. doi:10.4103/0378-6323.93629
- Hou Q, Li Y, Li L, et al. The metabolic effects of oats intake in patients with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrients. 2015;7(12):10369-87. doi:10.3390/nu7125536
- Whitehead A, Beck EJ, Tosh S, Wolever TM. Cholesterol-lowering effects of oat β-glucan: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014;100(6):1413-21. doi:10.3945/ajcn.114.086108
- Dennis M, Thompson T. NCA stance on gluten-free oats. National Celiac Association. Updated 2018.
- American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Multiple food reactions: Oat, onion, tomato. Updated 2014.
- Mollo K. Why can I NOT tolerate GF oats?. National Celiac Association. 2019.
- Ingham B. The safety of raw oatmeal. Safe & Healthy: Preparing & Preserving Food at Home. University of Wisconsin-Madison. Division of Extension. Updated 2019.
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Writer Bio
Based in Austin, Texas, Kara McEvoy has been writing professionally since 2007. She worked for three years as a public health nutritionist with the Vermont Department of Health, where she wrote nutrition-related articles for "The St. Albans Messenger." McEvoy holds a Bachelor of Science in nutrition and food science from the University of Vermont.