Mmmmm Oatmeal...

So phase 1 of P90X went very well... down a couple pounds and inches, so I am totally pumped to move on to phase 2. I know I am a bit of a geek, however its the researcher in me, and the sad obsession with pubmed!
As I started phase 2 of P90X today, I began my day with the meal plans version of oatmeal - which reminded me of a past blog I did for my cell physiology class....

Got Oats?
I came across a very interesting journal article titled “Mechanism by which avenanthramide-c, a polyphenol in oats, blocks cell cycle progression in vascular smooth muscle” (Nie et al. 2006). Before reading this article, I sat back and pondered – could my bowl of Quaker oatmeal actually be bad for me? No, that can’t be!

If you recall from class (looking way back to the first lecture), the cell cycle is divided into four phases: G1, S, G2, and M (Figure 17-3 from our text). Each step is respectively very important, however, it is the G1 phase (referring back to the article above) that wins hands down. Simply put, the G1 phase is the starting point in the cell cycle, that said, it is of more importance as this phase is the ‘last stop’ before the cell commits to the S phase leading up to mitosis.

So what does the G1 phase have to do with my heart and oats you wonder? Well… the researchers behind this article found that there is a direct link to avenanthramide-c (Avn-c) found in oats, and cell cycle blockage; where “cell cycle arrest was associated with a decrease in the phosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein (pRb), whose hyperphosphorylation is the hallmark of the G1 to S transition” (Nie et al. 2006).

Recall that G1-Cdk (cyclin D-Cdk4) initiates Rb phosphorylation. Thus inactiving Rb, which frees E2F to activate the transcription of S phase genes (Fig 17-30). Besides having an effect on the inhibition of cyclin D1, the Avn-cs are thought to be mediated by several key growth-regulatory proteins (all of which are known to have a role in cell proliferation: pRb, cyclin D1, p21cip 1m, and p53). It was found that the inhibitory effects of Avn-c on smooth muscle cell proliferation is “one potential mechanism by which avenanthramides of oats may contribute to the health benefit effect of regular oat consumption in the prevention of cardiovascular disease”(Nie et al. 2006).

So what does all of this mean?
Well if you are an avid oatmeal fan, like myself, you can relax and continue to enjoy every bowl of your favorite ‘stick-to-your-ribs” oatmeal. As now we know that oats are not just for lowering your cholesterol, they may aid in the prevention of coronary heart disease. So rejoice oatmeal lovers!

- K-Lynn H.