By Molly Goddard
1:40pm PST, Jan 21, 2025
This isn't the first time this theory has been shown to be true.
"I also remember a study from about ten years ago from the Journal of the American Medical Association in which the participants included oatmeal in their
diet," Dr.
Mike Sevilla, a family physician at Salem Family Care in Salem, Ohio, told
Fox News Digital. "And the study revealed a decrease in premature death in those who regularly ate oatmeal."
The most current
researchers followed a 105-year-old woman who sat down daily to enjoy a cup of oatmeal. Her intake showed lower cholesterol levels and an improvement in blood sugar levels.
Luckily, the dish is quick and easy to prepare before you head out of the house. With its tasteless nature, you can add fruits, honey, nuts and other toppings to jazz it up.
"We believe the mechanisms for this are
decreasing the absorption of cholesterol into the body and having better control of insulin in the system, which influences blood sugar levels in the body," Sevilla claimed.
The warm meal is perfect for the frigid winter months and helps fight the common cold. "This is because minerals like selenium and copper strengthen white blood cells – a type of cell that fights illness and infection," medical website
Health Reporter said.
The grain can also "combat pathogens, remove foreign substances, fight unwanted bacteria and prevent long-term diseases."
If you are having digestion issues, oatmeal has the ability to regulate your body. "Oatmeal contains beta-glucans, which are a form of soluble fiber that dissolves in water and turns into a thick gel-like substance in your gut," registered dietitian
Brittany Kingry told the news outlet.
"This will help slow your digestion, increase good bacteria growth in the gut and assist with reduced blood glucose
response as well as insulin response times," she added.
While the food appears to have strong health benefits, it's important to make sure how you are preparing your oats before scarfing down. "We have to be cautious of how much and what type of oatmeal we are incorporating into our diets," Kingry pointed out.
"We need to ensure that we are not eating it by itself but pairing it with protein to help with stabilizing blood sugar," the expert said. "You can do this by adding nuts, protein powder (make sure to add extra water or it will become grainy) or nut butter into the oatmeal or simply by
adding a lean breakfast meat on the side."
