Ground-breaking new research has found that OATS are the best food for patients with celiac disease and gluten intolerance.

New research published in Nature has deciphered the genome of oats and demonstrated why the popular cereal may be suitable for the majority of those with celiac disease and gluten intolerance.

In addition to bolstering Australia’s already-dominant oat industry, the research provides new insights into types that are more nutrient-dense and disease-resistant.

Researchers can better understand which genes are responsible for certain features by knowing the genome sequence.

Professor Michelle Colgrave of ECU and CSIRO said researchers were especially interested in learning why oat products cause fewer allergies and intolerances than other cereals like wheat or rye.

They found “that oats have fewer of the proteins that correspond to gluten in wheat, causing an immune reaction from people with celiac disease.

“This allowed us to confirm, on both a gene (DNA) and protein level, that oats contain fewer protein sequences that are known to trigger food allergy and intolerance.”

Oats also include a higher proportion of beta-glucans than other cereals, which lower blood cholesterol levels and have a beneficial effect on patients with metabolic illnesses like type 2 diabetes.

The research, according to WEHI Associate Professor Jason Tye-Din, provides confidence about the safety of oats for individuals with celiac and moves us closer to seeing them safely included in gluten-free diets.

“Concerns that oats harbour gluten-like proteins that may be harmful for people with coeliac disease has meant that in Australia and New Zealand, oats are currently excluded from the gluten-free diet,” he added.

People who follow a strict gluten-free diet eat fewer whole grains and are more likely to develop heart disease. However, oats may be able to counteract many of these negative consequences.

“The findings from this study tells us that the genes encoding potentially harmful gluten-like sequences are infrequent, expressed at low level and the sequences themselves less likely to trigger inflammation,” he added.

“These characteristics mean oats bear closer genomic and protein similarities to rice, which is safe in coeliac disease, than wheat and other gluten-rich cereals.”

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