In a small town in Texas on Labor Day weekend, the weather called for a 100% chance of grain...
Courtesy of the Oatmeal Air Force, the airdrop was part of the annual Oatmeal Festival.
The weekend event started in 1978 when a local resident wanted to help put the small community of Oatmeal on the map. Included were parades with floats, plus contests for eating, cooking, and sculpting with oatmeal. (Wrestling in oatmeal was short lived when contestants got drunk and rowdy.)
Decades later, this festival is still going strong... all to celebrate the humble pantry staple that science now shows as being a medical powerhouse...
Whether you like it chewy, creamy, piping hot, or cold a la overnight oats, oatmeal boasts some incredible health benefits.
It comes packed with free-radical-neutralizing antioxidants. And free-radical overload can result in cell-damaging oxidative stress, inflammation, and signs of aging.
It improves blood-sugar control – something that Type 2 diabetics could really use. And the older you are, the more likely this disease can rear up.
It comes loaded with dietary fiber. And we know dietary fiber is linked to preventing heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. A 2018 review of oat consumption and cholesterol found that about half a cup of oatmeal per day can reduce "bad cholesterol" levels by around 10%.
You can thank beta-glucan, a type of soluble fiber found in some foods. The idea is that the fiber gels up in your gastrointestinal system to slow down digestion and absorption of carbohydrates and cholesterol.
It's great for our gut bugs, too... A 2023 review that examined 16 animal, lab, and human studies published from 2012 to 2023 on oat consumption and gut-microbiome function confirmed this.
Researchers found that eating oats led to increased production of certain gut bacteria and chemical byproducts of gut-bacteria metabolism. And as it turns out, these bugs and their metabolites play a key role in...
- Regulating fat and carbohydrate metabolism
- Decreasing oxidative stress and inflammation (including brain inflammation)
- Increasing production of bile acids (which you need for absorbing fat and essential fat-soluble vitamins)
- Decreasing gut permeability (so toxins don't leak out)
- Promoting anticancer effects
A 2024 study from the University of Arizona found that mice fed a high-fat and high-sugar diet supplemented with 10% beta-glucan gained significantly less weight while keeping more lean muscle mass. They also had higher energy levels and better insulin sensitivity and blood-sugar control than the other groups of mice over an 18-week period.
Researchers found that the beta-glucan group had higher levels of a byproduct of gut-bacteria fermentation called butyrate. And butyrate happens to trigger the release of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), which helps tell the brain that you're feeling full. That's the same sort of mechanism behind drugs like Ozempic. When combined with the rapid cholesterol-lowering effects we're now seeing, it's clear that beta-glucan does a lot of heavy lifting for our metabolic health.
As for oats, here are the different species you might see in the grocery-store wilds, from least to most processed:
- Whole oats have a very Dr. Seuss-like moniker of oat groats. These are oat kernels with the inedible, hard hull from oat grains removed.
- Steel-cut (or Irish) oats are just oat groats cut into pieces in a steel mill.
- Scottish oats are a step down from steel-cut in terms of processing, with oat groats being ground up.
- Rolled oats – also called old-fashioned or regular oats – are the kind you see flecks of in more sugary incarnations of this grain, like granola and cookies. Steaming and then flattening oat groats between steel rollers gives rolled oats their flaky appearance.
- Quick oats come from a more flattened-out version of rolled oats that then get cut up.
- Instant oats undergo a bit more precooking and flattening than quick oats.
The less processed the oats, the more fiber you'll be getting and the better benefits they'll have in terms of keeping your blood-sugar levels under control (and supporting your gut microbiome).
But a word of caution... Flavored oatmeal is a no-go. Even if it's labeled as having "extra protein" or "high fiber," it's not worth buying due to the added sugar.
I'm not a fan of the "lower sugar" or "no added sugar" varieties either. Those tend to have a blend of artificial sweeteners and sugar or artificial sweeteners in place of sugar.
My go-to sweetener comes straight from Mother Nature: Fruit.
Here are some of my favorite combinations...
I love the aroma of banana nut bread fresh from the oven. Adding banana slices, chopped walnuts, and a dash of ginger, allspice, and nutmeg powder satisfies my craving for baked goods.
Fresh strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries lend a punch of sweetness and tartness. Frozen blueberries are just as nutritious as their fresh counterpart. Plus, they can gently cool down a screaming-hot bowl of oats, so you won't burn the roof of your mouth.
I also love adding a dollop of plain Greek yogurt. This protein-packed stir-in gives my oats an extra creaminess. I do let my oats cool a bit before plopping on the yogurt since probiotics generally start dying off at around 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
Speaking of good bacteria for the gut, you may have heard about the recent oatmeal study that has been making headlines this year...
A recent study from the University of Bonn found that loading up on oats for just two days improved cholesterol levels and gut health...
The participants suffered from chronic health problems like obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, and high blood-sugar levels. For the study, they ate a calorie-restricted diet for two days, except one group ate 100 grams of rolled oats boiled in water three times a day.
Compared with the non-oatmeal-eaters, the oatmeal group saw significant improvement on their lipid panels.
They slashed their "bad cholesterol" or LDL-C levels by 10% and their total cholesterol levels by 8%. And best of all, they still had lower cholesterol six weeks after the study ended. Along with the improved lipids, the oat group had increased levels of chemical byproducts produced by beneficial gut bacteria chowing down on the oats. These byproducts also happen to have cholesterol-lowering powers.
It's a fascinating study that proves just how well our metabolism can respond to high-quality fiber. Though the fact that the cereal industry helped fund the study is a bit brow-raising, despite the disclaimer that there was no official conflict of interest.
But not many of us are keen on trying out a grueling, 48-hour oatmeal marathon. That's OK. Instead, just try to eat one normal, delicious bowl of steel-cut oats topped with berries every morning... Consistency is key and it will always beat extremes.
P.S. Just like oatmeal is an overlooked hero hiding in your pantry, there's an underrated hero likely missing from your fitness routine...
While cardio and weight training get all the glory, you might neglect the third pillar of fitness that's key to healthy aging – including protection from suffering a devastating fall. I covered it in yesterday's issue of Retirement Millionaire. If you're not a subscriber, you can check it out for 30 days.
What We're Reading...
- Something different: Six of Earth's more aesthetically challenged animals.
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
March 12, 2026