Oats by Donald D. Kasarda, Former Research Chemist for the USDA

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Oats by Donald D. Kasarda, Former Research Chemist for the United States

Department of Agriculture

 

 

 

 

The following was written by Donald D. Kasarda who is a research

chemist in the Crop Improvement and Utilization Research Unit of the

United States Department of Agriculture. If you have any questions or

comments regarding the piece, please address them to Don at:

kasa-

 

I have not seen the NEJM article from the Finnish group although I had

heard second hand about a meeting presentation of the work. I have no

reason to doubt the results.

 

I am co-author of a paper from an independent study carried out by the

laboratory of Dr. Conleth Feighery, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland,

and this study (paper submitted) also supports the lack of toxicity for

a PURE oats sample.

 

I will remind people that it is EASY for oats to be contaminated with

wheat both in the field and in processing.

 

I have no reason to think that oats must be limited to small amounts,

but, of course, it isn't good to focus one's diet too much on a single

food, so moderation of the normal sort is probably good.

 

There are bound to be some people who are sensitive to oats, possibly

through an allergic reaction to one component or another (just as there

are people allergic to rice), but this sensitivity, on the basis of

current results, seems " unlikely " to be celiac disease in its strict

sense.

 

The term gluten in celiac disease is not used in a proper sense (in that

sense it is present only in wheat), but rather as a shorthand term for

peptides derived from prolamins (proteins) that include the harmful

" amino acid " sequences found in wheat.

 

These peptides set off (in an unknown way) a series of reactions that

ultimately may lead to flattening of the mucosa, malabsorption, and

possibly other effects as well.

 

Wheat, rye, and barley have prolamins that contain the toxic

sequence(s).

 

The finding that oats is (are?) not toxic indicates that the key

sequences are NOT found in the avenins, the prolamins of oats.

 

Comparison of the amino acid sequences of avenins and gliadins yields

clues to possibly important differences and I am pursuing the

significance of these differences.

 

I am currently trying to find sources of pure, uncontaminated oats, and

will post them here as soon as they are available. -Scott

 

The oats used in the Irish study (see Doctor #2 below) came from a

company called Peter Kölln in Germany. The oats from this company were

tested and found to be safe.

 

Their address is:

Peter Kölln

Postfach 609

D-25306 Elmshorn

Germany

 

 

http://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=196 & p_catid=14 & sid=91hH9H1EUHSDBLO-5\

3105542413.3c

 

 

 

 

AIM Barleygreen

" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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