EFFECTS OF OATS ON LIPID PROFILE, INSULIN RESISTANCE AND WEIGHT LOSS

cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of morbidity worldwide. Such prevalence justifies the importance of functional foods that promote cardiovascular health, like -glucan present in oats, with potential hypocholesterolemic and hypoglycemic effects. to evaluate the effects of an intervention with oats in blood glucose levels, HOMA-IR index, lipid profile, weight and Body Mass Index (BMI) of adult users of a health service in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. longitudinal study, case-control type with before and after experiment, conducted with individuals that are 22-60 years old, users of a health service. The individuals were distributed in Control (usual diet) and Case (usual diet + 40 g oats/day) groups. There was performed, at the beginning of the study and after eight weeks of monitoring, measuring of height and weight, calculation of BMI (kg/m²), blood collection for measurement of fasting glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, triglycerides and HDL cholesterol; and there were calculated the LDL cholesterol and HOMA-IR index. The data was expressed as mean ± standard deviation and percentages. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Student t test, Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon tests were applied. A significance level of 5% was adopted (p < 0.05). the sample consisted of 82 subjects, divided into cases (n = 38) and controls (n = 44), mean age 40.07 ± 10.49 years old, 58.5% were women. Comparing the results of all measured parameters at baseline and after eight weeks of monitoring, the Control group did not achieve a significant reduction in any parameter, showing a significant increase in blood glucose and HOMA- IR (p < 0.05). The Intervention group had a significant reduction of all anthropometric and biochemical parameters analyzed (p < 0.001). the findings demonstrate the beneficial effects of oats to cardiovascular health through significantly improving of the lipid and glycemic profiles, being a potential adjuvant in the prevention and treatment of metabolic disorders.