The genomeof oats has been decoded by an international team of
scientists led by Lund University, the ScanOats Industrial Research
Center, and Helmholtz Munich. Researchers from Edith Cowan University
(ECU), Australia's national science agency CSIRO, and WEHI (the Walter
and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research) played a key role in the
project with the results now published in/Nature/.

Professor Michelle Colgrave from ECU and CSIRO said that they were
particularly interested in finding out why oat products trigger fewer
allergies and intolerances compared to other cereals such as wheator
rye. They discovered that oats have fewer of the proteins that
correspond to gluten in wheat which causes an immune reaction in people
with celiac disease. Professor Colgrave said this discovery confirmed
that on both the gene (DNA) and protein levels, oats contain fewer
protein sequences that are known to trigger food allergy and
intolerance. Compared to other cereals, oats also contain a much higher
proportion of beta-glucans, which reduce blood cholesterol levels and
have a positive effect on people with metabolic diseases such as type 2
diabetes.

Associate Professor Jason Tye-Din, from WEHI, said their research
provides reassurance about the safety of oats for people with celiac
disease. He also said that the characteristics of oats mean they are
closer to rice, which is safe in celiac disease, than wheat and other
gluten-rich cereals.

Coeliac cereal â?? Research shows oats could be the answer - ECU Newsroom
[www.ecu.edu.au]