Raise the blood sugar level with malt drinks?
Oat drinks are popular alternatives to cow's milk. However, there is a claim circulating on social media that they cause unhealthy blood sugar spikes and lead to fatigue. Is this true? Two experts clarify.
Whether in coffee or muesli, for cooking or baking: oat drinks are found in many refrigerators. They are considered healthy plant-based alternatives to cow's milk and are therefore suitable for vegan and lactose intolerant people. However, oat drinks are sometimes criticized in social media. They are said to cause harmful blood sugar spikes due to their high sugar content, leading to fatigue, hunger, or skin problems.
What's behind it? Two experts explain how much sugar is in oat drinks, what this means for blood sugar levels, and who should actually exchange another plant-based drink for oat drinks.
Oat drinks contain natural sugar
First and foremost: oat drinks contain sugar - even if they are unsweetened. Since every grain, including oats, consists of starch, and although it may not taste sweet at first: there are many sugar molecules bound together in it.
To make the grain into a tasty beverage, the oats are processed. "Enzymes are added to break down the starch. During this process, starch residues are split, and maltose sugar is formed. Oat drinks therefore have a natural sugar content," explains Professor Nicolai Worm, a nutrition scientist.
The exact amount varies greatly and depends on the production process. On average, it is around four grams per 100 grams of drink, according to Karlis Briviba. He is the acting head of the Institute for Physiology and Biochemistry of Nutrition at the Max Rubner Institute.
However, this value alone does not yet say much about how exactly the oat drink affects blood sugar levels. For that, we need to look at two other factors: the glycemic index and the glycemic load.
Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load?
The glycemic index indicates how strongly the carbohydrates in a food raise blood sugar levels. Long-chain carbohydrates, like those found in whole grain products, raise blood sugar levels more slowly. Sodas with their short-chain carbohydrates - that is, sugar - raise blood sugar levels much faster.
The scale ranges from 0 to 100. The higher the value, the faster the carbohydrates are digested and enter the blood. "Oat drinks have a relatively high value," says Briviba. It is slightly above 60 and is comparable to common household sugar.
However, it also matters how many carbohydrates a food contains in total. This is the glycemic load. Two foods can have the same glycemic index but still have different effects on blood sugar levels due to the fact that one food contains significantly more carbohydrates than the other.
"The glycemic index of oat drinks is relatively high, but the glycemic load is low," says Briviba. "If we want to make a comparison, a glass of oat milk has comparable values to a small slice of whole grain bread or half a slice of wheat bread." The expert's assessment: "That's very little and does not significantly affect the health of healthy people."
Nicolai Worm holds a health discussion based on sugar content in oat drinks, labeling it "complete nonsense." He states that a food's healthiness cannot be determined by a slight increase in blood sugar levels.
Even a healthy body can handle such a blood sugar rise. For healthy individuals, the blood sugar level after eating does not rise above approximately 140 mg/dl. "Regardless of whether they eat more or less sugar, the body regulates by releasing additional insulin," says Worm.
Diabetics must keep an eye on blood sugar levels
However, a problem arises when the body can no longer produce enough insulin, resulting in diabetes. Or if there is insulin resistance. The body then needs to secrete a large - and therefore unhealthy - amount of insulin to obtain sugar from the blood, according to Nicolai Worm.
Insulin resistance is caused by a lifestyle with inactivity, obesity, sleep deprivation, and other factors. It often goes unnoticed because it does not cause symptoms.
For people with diabetes, however, there is a certain caution when it comes to oat drinks: "They should pay particular attention to how many carbohydrates they consume," advises Briviba. And they should prefer the unsweetened oat or soy version for the sake of their blood sugar levels.
What nutrients (don't) contain oat milk
Regarding oat drinks, Worm has another criticism: "Compared to cow's milk, oat drinks contain very few essential nutrients such as calcium or iodine." Therefore, the industry fortifies the products with minerals and trace elements.
However, in plants - including oats - there are also substances called inhibitors, as Worm explains. These inhibit the body's ability to absorb nutrients, so even the added calcium is hardly usable. "Studies show that the calcium availability in oat drinks is only 3%. In cow's milk, it is given as 30%."
Additionally, in terms of protein content, oat milk lags significantly behind cow's milk. "This means that the nutritional value, the pure nutritional value, is lower in comparison."
Number 1: In the context of diabetes management, it's important for individuals to consider the glycemic load of their food choices, including oat drinks. While they have a relatively high glycemic index, the glycemic load is actually quite low, comparable to a small slice of whole grain bread.
Number 2: During a Q&A session about nutrition, a health expert discussed the claim that oat drinks cause harmful blood sugar spikes due to their high sugar content. However, they argued that a food's healthiness cannot be solely determined by its sugar content and a slight increase in blood sugar levels is not a significant concern for healthy individuals.
