Oats Associated with Significant Improvement in Systemic Chronic Inflammation

by | Jan 10, 2023 | 2022, Blood Lipids, Cardiovascular Health

Written by Chrystal Moulton, Staff Writer. Individuals in the oat beta-glucan group with high iAge® showed a significant decrease in iAge® and CCL11 protein at week 2.

fiberCardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a leading cause of death worldwide1 . The economic toll of cardiovascular related diseases on the US economy is approximately $216 billion per year2. Therefore mitigation of risks associated with CVD is important to alleviating the burden of the disease on the US economy. Recently, researchers have cited systemic chronic inflammation [SCI] or “inflammaging” as a contributor to cardiovascular disease3,4. Systemic chronic inflammation is believed to be triggered by damaged cells or external insults referred to as Damage Associated Molecular Patterns or DAMPS. Researchers believe that DAMPS promote a low grade chronic systemic inflammation activating immune components different from those triggered during an acute immune response5. The metric used to measure systemic chronic inflammation (SCI) is iAge®. iAge is derived from deep learning algorithms that can predict cardiovascular aging, frailty, all-cause mortality, immunological decline, and morbidity6. Research shows that factors associated with SCI can promote endothelial dysfunction and atherogenesis7. Thus, modulating those factors associated with SCI could significantly help individuals at high risk for CVD6. Food products such as oats demonstrates significant improvement in both total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and overall CVD risk8. Oats and its constituents also has the ability to lower several proteins associated with SCI9. In the current study6, researchers conducted secondary measurements on serum samples collected during a clinical investigation of oat beta-glucan versus placebo on CVD biomarkers and blood lipids. Researchers in this study utilized the samples to determine which patients benefitted more from the intervention (oat beta-glucan supplementation) based on iAge classification and LDL cholesterol levels.

In the initial trial10, 191 patients aged 21 to 65 years old were randomly assigned to consume 3grams of oat beta glucan or placebo daily for four weeks. It was a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical investigation of oat beta-glucan versus placebo on CVD biomarkers and blood lipids. Blood samples were taken at baseline, week 2 and week 4. A total of 573 samples were collected during the initial trial. Researchers sent these samples for testing to determine iAge® and iAge® modifiers. In the current trial, researchers applied statistical analysis to determine baseline predictors of iAge® and the SCI protein ameliorated through the oat beta glucan intervention.

After statistical analysis of iAge and baseline features of each participant, researchers identified 4 predictors of response to the treatment (or changes in iAge®) at week 2 versus baseline in the oat beta glucan group. The four variables were baseline iAge ®, percent dietary saturated fatty acid intake, total fiber content, and systolic blood pressure. Both total fiber content and systolic blood pressure were associated with a decrease in iAge® while baseline iAge® and percent dietary saturated fatty acid intake were associated with an increase in iAge® in the oat beta glucan group during the initial trial. Participants classified with an iAge® above 49.6 years was considered to have a high iAge®. These individuals showed a significant decrease in iAge® (-1.46 iAge® years, P=0.008) and CCL11 protein (-7% change, P=0.002) at Week 2. No significant difference was observed in patients considered low iAge® (below 49.6 years) in the oat beta glucan group. No significant effects were observed in the placebo group. Furthermore, individuals in the oat beta glucan group with high iAge® and LDL levels at baseline saw a significant improvement in iAge® at week 2 compared to baseline (-2.3 years, P=0.0027). Also, the SCI associated protein effectively modulated by oat beta glucan consumption was CCL11 in patients with high iAge®.

Results from this analysis show that oat beta glucan consumption specifically targets CCL11 protein and is effective in individuals with a high iAge® and LDL cholesterol level. Further research is needed to verify these findings.

Source: Dioum, El Hadji M., Kevin L. Schneider, David J. Vigerust, Bryan D. Cox, YiFang Chu, Jeffery J. Zachwieja, and David Furman. “Oats Lower Age-Related Systemic Chronic Inflammation (iAge) in Adults at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease.” Nutrients 14, no. 21 (2022): 4471.

© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Posted January 10, 2023.

Chrystal Moulton BA, PMP, is a 2008 graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago. She graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology with a focus on premedical studies and is a licensed project manager. She currently resides in Indianapolis, IN.

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