Best (and Worst) Oatmeal for Type 2 Diabetes

• Updated on: 2019-11-15
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Oatmeal, that hearty, humble breakfast staple, can be a great addition to a diabetes diet. A widely available whole grain, oats are rich in fiber along with essential minerals, such as magnesium, potassium, calcium, and iron, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. And the consumption of oats has been associated with improved cardiovascular conditions, including a reduced risk of heart disease and lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. While heart health is important for everyone, oats can also offer specific benefits for people with type 2 diabetes.

The type of soluble fiber in oats may help with blood sugar control as well as weight maintenance. One of the simplest ways to fit healthy oats into your diet is by eating more oatmeal. Learn how to make the most of your daily bowl.

Although oatmeal is high in carbohydrates — which people with type 2 diabetes need to watch out for — it’s a food that’s low to medium on the glycemic index (GI) when it’s prepared with minimal processing. Meaning: It’s more slowly digested and metabolized, resulting in a lower rise in blood sugar.

“One cup of oatmeal has about 30 grams (g) carbs in it with 4 g fiber,” according to Leah Kaufmam, RD, CDE, who's based in New York City. Fiber is important for all adults, but especially for people with diabetes. Not only does fiber help with regularity, but beta-glucan, a specific type of soluble fiber found in oats, increases the time it takes to digest, helping slow down the release of glucose in the small intestine. According to the National Library of Medicine, adults with type 2 diabetes who ate oats and oat bran for six weeks experienced “significant” reductions in 24-hour blood sugar counts, as well as overall insulin levels.

So just how much fiber do you need daily? The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates that most Americans get about 14 g per day — less than one-half the fiber they need. The NIH recommends that men ought to aim for 38 g fiber per day, while women should consume 25 g. Other experts recommend even higher amounts for people with type 2 diabetes. For instance, recommendations for preventing and managing diabetes, in an article published in February 2014 in the Journal of Education and Health Promotion, noted that 40 g per day is even more beneficial. Aim for at least 10 g of fiber per meal, from foods like oatmeal, whole grains, fruit, vegetables, and legumes.

RELATED: Delicious Fiber-Rich Foods to Help You Manage Diabetes

Another reason to fuel up with oats: their anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation is one of the body’s natural defense mechanisms. When you’re injured or become ill, for instance, your body releases inflammatory cells to help you heal. However, too much inflammation can occur as a result of disease (such as type 2 diabetes) or from long-term stress, poor diet, and sedentary lifestyle. Ongoing (chronic) inflammation places undo stress on your organs, leading to complications such as diseases of the heart and brain, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Oats contain an anti-inflammatory compound called avenanthramide, which may reduce the inflammation in diabetes that could lead to disease progression. Researchers who studied 22 people with type 2 diabetes who ate oats over a period of eight weeks observed anti-inflammatory benefits in study participants. The study, published in June 2014 in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, looked at the effects of an oat-enriched diet in type 2 diabetes patients. They found that the diet resulted in decreased microparticles found in blood platelets that could contribute to high blood sugar and inflammation. These results applied to people with type 2 diabetes who already ate a fairly balanced diet, worked out regularly, and had adopted other healthy lifestyle habits.

The study in Molecular Nutrition and Food Researchalso noted a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease in people with type 2 diabetes who ate oats. Heart disease is a known complication of type 2 diabetes because high blood glucose levels can damage nerves and blood vessels connected to your heart, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). While eating oatmeal alone won’t prevent your risk of heart disease, fiber-rich, anti-inflammatory foods like oats can help lower the chances of heart problems over the long term.

There’s also evidence that oats can decrease high cholesterol levels, another risk factor for heart disease. A review of studies published in December 2015 in the journal Nutrients examined trials in which people with type 2 diabetes ate oatmeal for breakfast versus control groups that ate non–oat containing foods, such as white bread. Researchers noted that fiber from the oats not only helped regulate glucose levels, but study participants also saw reduced levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad”) cholesterol. The authors added that people with type 2 diabetes who ate oats had lower total cholesterol levels.

Another review of controlled trials, published in October 2016 in The British Journal of Nutrition, found that oat-enriched diets were associated with an average reduction of LDL cholesterol by 4.2 percent.

Some oatmeal is better than others, when it comes to a type 2 diabetes diet. All oatmeal originates from oat groats, which are the whole kernels harvested before being stripped of their hulls. Oat groats are processed further into different types of oats that can be used for oatmeal, according to Harvard Health. The more processed the oats, the less beneficial fiber they contain.

Oatmeal can come in the form of:

Steel-cut oats are best for type 2 diabetes because they are the least-processed version of oat groats. “Rolled oats have a higher glycemic index than steel-cut oats as they actually have been partially cooked, making them increase your blood sugar faster,” says Kaufman.

But rolled oats are still better than instant. According to Harvard Health, oatmeal from rolled oats has a GI score of 55 per serving, while instant oatmeal has a score of 79. The glycemic index measures the impact a food will have on blood sugar, and not necessarily how quickly your body will absorb it, given the portion-size you’re likely to consume — this is where knowing the glycemic load (GL) can be additionally helpful. According to data published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, rolled oats have a glycemic load of 9 (low), while instant oats have a GL of 24 (high).

If you want a sweet bowl of oatmeal and some toppings, add fresh fruit, rather than dried fruit, which has a much higher GL. (For instance, according to the University of California in San Francisco, a large banana has a GL of 12.4 compared with 2 tablespoons of raisins at a whopping 27.3). Nuts such as almonds and walnuts are good for those with type 2 diabetes and add fiber, protein, and healthy types of fat to your meal. But keep your portions small, as these are high in calories and fat.

RELATED:The Best Nuts for Diabetes: Almonds, Walnuts, and More

For her own bowl of oatmeal, Kaufman says, “I usually love to add raspberries or blueberries into my oatmeal in order to add even more fiber than just the oats themselves.” Ground flaxseed is a nutritious way to top off any bowl of oatmeal with added benefits of fiber and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, says the Mayo Clinic.

“When deciding on oatmeal, you want to stay away from any with added sweeteners,” cautions Kaufman. Quick oats are often laden with added sweeteners to create flavors such as “Maple and Brown Sugar” or “Peach,” all of which you should avoid with type 2 diabetes. If you must use sweeteners other than fruit, the American Diabetes Association recommends the following:

When it comes to oatmeal, cooking methods matter too. As a rule of thumb, Kaufman notes, “the longer it takes to cook your oats, the better they are for you.” Properly prepared oats may take a little more time, but the potential benefits for type 2 diabetes — better blood sugar control, decreased cholesterol and inflammation, and help with weight management — are worth it.