Effect of oat gum on the physical properties of the gastrointestinal contents and on the uptake of D-galactose and cholesterol by rat small intestine in vitro.

Recent reports indicate that oats have a relatively low glycaemic effect in comparison with other carbohydrate food, and that their consumption leads to a reduction in plasma-cholesterol levels in man. These properties may be due to a soluble non-starch polysaccharide in oats. The present study was undertaken to explore the physiological properties of this material. Three groups of male Wistar rats were meal-fed on a control diet free of soluble dietary fibre for 10 d before being given a 10 g meal of either the control diet, a diet containing oat gum (beta-glucan), or finely ground rolled oats. The contents of the stomach, small intestine and caecum were later recovered and the weight, water content and viscosity were measured. The small intestinal contents from oat-gum-fed or oat-fed rats had a higher wet: dry weight ratio than that of the controls, and a higher viscosity. In in vitro studies the rate of uptake of D-galactose by jejunal rings was reduced in the presence of oat gum. The estimated Michaelis-Menten constant for the carrier-mediated component in the presence of oat gum was higher than that for controls, but the maximum transport rates were similar. Cholesterol uptake by everted jejunal sacs was progressively inhibited by increasing concentrations of oat gum in the mucosal medium. It is concluded that increased viscosity of the contents of the small intestine may contribute to the low glycaemic index and hypocholesterolaemic effects of oats in man. Oats appear to be amongst the few palatable sources of viscous dietary fibre in the conventional Western diet.