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Cited by 61Celiac Disease Research and ManagementFood composition and propertiesWheat and Barley Genetics and Pathology

Why Oats Are Safe and Healthy for Celiac Disease Patients

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Gilissen, Luud, Van der Meer, Ingrid, Smulders, Marinus·2016·Medical Sciences
DOI 10.3390/medsci4040021PMC PMC5635790
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Abstract

The water-insoluble storage proteins of cereals (prolamins) are called “gluten” in wheat, barley, and rye, and “avenins” in oat. Gluten can provoke celiac disease (CD) in genetically susceptible individuals (those with human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8 serotypes). Avenins are present at a lower concentration (10%–15% of total protein content) in oat as compared to gluten in wheat (80%–85%). The avenins in the genus Avena (cultivated oat as well as various wild species of which gene bank accessions were analyzed) are free of the known CD immunogenic epitopes from wheat, barley, and rye. T cells that recognize avenin-specific epitopes have been found very rarely in CD patients. CD patients that consume oats daily do not show significantly increased levels of intraepithelial lymphocyte (EIL) cells. The safety and the positive health effects of the long-term inclusion of oats in the gluten-free diet have been confirmed in long-term studies. Since 2009 (EC 41/2009) and 2013 (FDA) oat products may be sold as gluten-free in several countries provided a gluten contamination level below 20 ppm. Introduction of oats in the gluten-free diet of celiac patients is advised after the recovery of the intestine. Health effects of oat consumption are reflected in European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)- and Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved health claims. Oats can form a healthy, nutritious, fiber-rich, and safe complement to the gluten-free diet.

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  • Oats are an important source of fibre as well as wholegrain and have been shown to improve the taste, satiety as well as variation in the GFD.

    “However, oats are an important source of fibre as well as wholegrain and has been shown to improve the taste, satiety as well as variation in the GFD (30-32).”

    From Gluten-free diet for pediatric patients with coeliac disease: A position paper from the ESPGHAN gastroenterology committee, special interest group in coeliac disease. (2024) · cites this paper as [30]

    Section 4 describes oats as a source of fibre, says they are generally consumed as whole-grain products, and links whole-grain oat foods to a lasting feeling of satiety. Neither that section nor the passages retrieved about the gluten-free diet establish that oats improve its taste or variety. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Cited by

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Authors
Gilissen, L., Van der Meer, I., & Smulders, M.
Affiliations
  • Wageningen University & Research (NL)
  • Wageningen University & Research, Bioscience, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
Corresponding author
Smulders, Marinus
ORCID
Smulders, Marinus
Venue
Medical Sciences
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2016-11-26
Volume
4
Issue
4
Pages
21
ISSN
2076-3271 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/medsci4040021
PMC
PMC5635790
OpenAlex
W2557708634
Cited by
61
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 3
FWCI
0.56
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Medical Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Socio-Environmental Systems Modeling (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • European Commission (FP7-KBBE 613912)
  • Ministry of Economic Affairs, The Netherlands (KB-15-001-007;KB-05-001-019-PRI)
  • Province of Gelderland and the European Union EFRO fund (EFRO 2011-018974)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Gastroenterology › Celiac Disease Research and Management
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Food composition and properties
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Wheat and Barley Genetics and Pathology
Keywords
oat, celiac disease, avenin, gluten, prolamin, gluten-free diet, HLA-DQ2, HLA-DQ8, immunogenic epitopes, intraepithelial lymphocytes, gluten contamination, health claims, dietary fiber

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