EFFECTS OF OATS ON LIPID PROFILE, INSULIN RESISTANCE AND WEIGHT LOSS

Introduction: cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of morbidity worldwide. Such prevalence justifies the importance of functional foods that promote cardiovascular health, like -glucan present in oats, with potential hypocholesterolemic and hypoglycemic effects.

Objective: to evaluate the effects of an intervention with oats in blood glucose levels, HOMA-IR index, lipid profile, weight and Body Mass Index (BMI) of adult users of a health service in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Methods: longitudinal study, case-control type with before and after experiment, conducted with individuals that are 22-60 years old, users of a health service. The individuals were distributed in Control (usual diet) and Case (usual diet + 40 g oats/day) groups. There was performed, at the beginning of the study and after eight weeks of monitoring, measuring of height and weight, calculation of BMI (kg/m²), blood collection for measurement of fasting glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, triglycerides and HDL cholesterol; and there were calculated the LDL cholesterol and HOMA-IR index. The data was expressed as mean ± standard deviation and percentages. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Student t test, Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon tests were applied. A significance level of 5% was adopted (p < 0.05).

Results: the sample consisted of 82 subjects, divided into cases (n = 38) and controls (n = 44), mean age 40.07 ± 10.49 years old, 58.5% were women. Comparing the results of all measured parameters at baseline and after eight weeks of monitoring, the Control group did not achieve a significant reduction in any parameter, showing a significant increase in blood glucose and HOMA- IR (p < 0.05). The Intervention group had a significant reduction of all anthropometric and biochemical parameters analyzed (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: the findings demonstrate the beneficial effects of oats to cardiovascular health through significantly improving of the lipid and glycemic profiles, being a potential adjuvant in the prevention and treatment of metabolic disorders.