If porridge, muesli and overnight oats have brought rolled oats to the pantries of any lover of healthy cuisine, some diets and the desire to take care of themselves have done the same with oat brananother of the common presentations of this cereal so appreciated for its multiple properties and benefits.

In fact, along with flakes, oat bran is one of the easiest oat products to find in any supermarket, but there are so many ways in which we can find oats that sometimes it can be difficult to clarify what exactly each thing is. Do you know what oat bran is? How is it different from flakes or oat flour and what is it used for? What are its properties? If you have any problems?

What is oat bran and what is it for?

Oat bran is the small skin with which the oat grain is coveredwhich is separated to be used as a nutritional supplement and added to juices, smoothies, yogurts, soups, doughs or even salads.

As a nutritional supplementoat bran is mainly used as fiber source. A large part of the fiber provided by the cereal is concentrated in bran, both soluble and insoluble. Highlights your richness in beta-glucansone of the fibers responsible for the benefits of oats. It also contains abundant B vitamins and minerals such as iron, phosphorus and potassium.

The whole oats It preserves the bran, whether in grain or flakes, but in non-whole versions of oats the bran is removed when husking the grain to obtain the refined cereal.

Properties and benefits

In general, oat bran has properties similar to those of oats in grain or flakes. It is a food rich in fiber and protein that provides a good amount of antioxidants and micronutrients: minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and iron, trace elements such as selenium and manganese, and group B vitamins, vitamin E and vitamin K.

However, having a higher concentration of fiber and some of these nutrients allows you to obtain benefits by taking a smaller amountas a complement to the diet. Of course, you can take advantage of the properties of oats by simply consuming rolled oats regularly in your usual portions.

Among the most recognized benefits of oat bran we find:

1. Reduces cholesterol

Due to its richness in beta-glucans, a soluble fiber that absorbs and removes bile acids from the intestine that synthesize cholesterol, oat bran contributes to reducing blood cholesterol levels.

According to a report prepared by the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) based on several reviews of studies on the effect of oats on cholesterol, to achieve significant benefits in reducing LDL cholesterol it is necessary to consume about 3 g of beta-glucans daily for several weeks.

To get 3 grams of beta-glucans a day, just consume about 40 grams of bran daily. You can also obtain the same amount of beta-glucans with 75 g of rolled oats.

2. Relieves constipation

The fiber in oats, concentrated in the bran, affects the motility of the small intestine and increases the viscosity of feces in the large intestine, which helps relieve constipation. In a study carried out by the University of Vienna, consumption of oat bran for twelve weeks reduced the use of laxatives in geriatric patients.

But according to a more recent review of studies published in Food, Science and Technologythis effect on constipation is just one of the benefits of oat bran for gastrointestinal health.

3. Strengthens the intestinal microbiota

The soluble fiber in oats ferments in the intestine, promoting the production of butyric acid and other acids that exert a protective effect on the colon and help prevent inflammatory intestinal diseases, as reported in a study published in 2020 by Swedish researchers in Crohns&Colitis.

It also improves the composition of the intestinal microbiota, promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli.

According to another even more recent study published in Frontiers in Immunologythis effect on the microbiota would also contribute, along with the carrying effect of fiber, to the improvement in cholesterol levels after consuming oats.

The researchers also point out that The benefits for the microbiota are more pronounced when the bran is consumed of oats than when the flakes are taken.

3. Regulates sugar levels

Reduce glycemic response of the body when foods rich in carbohydrates are eaten, it prevents glucose spikes and improves insulin sensitivity in the long term. By reducing the glycemic response, oat bran thus contributes to protecting against type II diabetes.

In a review of studies published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutritionthe researchers concluded that consuming oats in grain or flakes with at least 4 grams of beta-glucans before a meal with 30-80 grams of carbohydrates significantly reduced the postprandial glucose levels.

4. Helps with weight control

The beta-glucans in oat bran prolong the feeling of satiety thanks to which they delay gastric emptying and, consequently, increases the interaction with cells that release appetite-regulating hormones.

These satiating properties, recently reviewed in Nutrition Reviewsmake oat bran useful in weight loss diets or weight control diets.

5. It is a good source of vegetable proteins

Oat bran has a slightly higher protein concentration than flaked oats, which is why it is used to enrich some recipes with proteins, including a variety of doughs.

For every 100 grams of oat bran you get 17.3 grams of protein (complete oats, with their 16.9 grams of protein, are not far behind).

6. It is rich in antioxidants

Although the concentration of antioxidants is slightly higher in whole oats than in oat bran, it still provides a high amount of polyphenols called Aveanthramides (between 1.3 and 12.5 mg per 100 g depending on the type of Aveanthramide).

Avenanthramides are considered anti-inflammatory and are, along with beta-glucans, the compounds responsible for the main benefits of oats.

According to a study by British researchers published in Molecular Nutrition and Food Researchthe Avenanthramides from oat bran are also assimilated especially well, more quickly than the polyphenols from other cereals.

Oat bran or rolled oats, which is better?

The oatmeal It is the complete cereal, which in its integral version includes bran or fiber, and we can find it in many different ways.

The purest form is in grain, to be cooked like any cereal, but The most common thing is to find it in the form of flakesmuch more practical when it comes to including oats in the diet. There are many types of flakes, of different thickness and requiring more or less soaking, but all of them They are obtained by flattening the grain of the previously cooked cereal steamed.

He oat bran It is just the husk, the waste product obtained from refining the grain. has a higher fiber concentration than the whole grain, also protein, slightly, and some minerals and vitamins, but at the same time it is devoid of others.

In general, bran provides, compared to grain or flaked oats:

• More fiber: Both oats and bran can be considered rich in fiber, satiating and useful for regulating intestinal transit, but oats provide about 10.6 grams of fiber per 100 grams, while bran provides about 15.4 grams.
• More protein: The contribution is slightly higher in oat bran: 16.9 g per 100 grams compared to 16.3 g in whole oats.
• More beta-glucans: The beta-glucan content depends a lot on the way the bran is processed, but in general, since beta-glucans are a type of fiber and this is concentrated in the bran, oat bran is more concentrated in beta-glucans than flaked oats.
• More minerals: Flaked oats and bran provide similar amounts of calcium and iron, but bran is slightly richer in some minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus and potassium; also in some vitamins of group B.
• Less fat: By separating the hull from the grain, part of the endosperm is lost, where the healthy fats in oats are concentrated. Even so, oat bran is only slightly lower in fat than oats in flakes or grains.
• Less carbohydrates: Also part of the carbohydrates are eliminated digestible, hence low-carbohydrate diets such as the Dukan diet do not recommend oats but rather oat bran, to introduce fiber into the diet without excessively increasing the intake of carbohydrates.
• Fewer calories: As it has less fat and carbohydrates, oat bran provides fewer calories (about 246 per 100 grams compared to the 389 calories of oats). But we must remember that those extra calories that oats provide come from complex carbohydrates, essential in a balanced diet.

Although on balance it seems that bran is more complete than oats, It is still a part of the grain and is consumed in smaller quantities than flaked oats.

Due to its nutritional profile, oat bran is very practical to take as a supplementif you want to increase your fiber or beta-glucan consumption, but the ideal is to obtain the fiber and other necessary nutrients by including plenty of foods rich in fiber and these nutrients in your diet, such as oats.

As researcher Micaela Karlsen says in an article published in Health & Nutrition Letterfrom Tufts University, in the United States, Comparing oat bran to whole oats is like comparing your finger to your hand.. «Which one is better?» asks the researcher. «With a finger you can type a number on the phone, but with your hand you can type the number on the phone and pick up a fork.»

How to take oat bran

Oat bran is usually sold in diet and health food stores, but it is also easily found in supermarkets.

Can be added to yogurts and smoothies as a nutritional supplement.

Another option is to use it in healthy pastry doughsuch as cookies, muffins, pancakes, crepes or breads.

Oat bran too can be cookedadding boiling water and a little salt and letting it boil over very low heat so that it acquires the consistency of porridge. Then, if you wish, you can add cinnamon and a little fruit or honey or another healthy sweetener.

Contraindications

Being very rich in fiber, bran can produce gastrointestinal discomfort if consumed in excess or you are not accustomed to high fiber consumption. If this is the case and you want to introduce oat bran into your diet, the general recommendation is to do it little by little.

Furthermore, for its phytate content (0.6 to 1.5%) oat bran may slightly interfere with the calcium absorptionso experts recommend that…