title: Chronic consumption of a wild green oat extract (Neuravena) improves brachial flow-mediated dilatation and cerebrovascular responsiveness in older adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Heart health benefits have been attributed to regular consumption of oats. Preclinical evidence suggests that a wild green oat extract (WGOE) may improve vasodilator function, but this is yet to be evaluated in humans.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether regular daily consumption of WGOE can influence vasodilator function in systemic and cerebral arteries.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-seven healthy older adults (>60 years) completed a 24-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled two-way crossover dietary intervention with 1500 mg/day of encapsulated WGOE or placebo. All assessments were conducted at the end of each 12-week intervention arm, after participants had fasted for at least 4 h and at least 18 h after they had taken their last dose of supplement. Flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery and hypercapnia-induced increases of blood flow in the middle cerebral artery were used to measure systemic and cerebral vasodilator responsiveness (CVR), respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with placebo, WGOE supplementation increased CVR and FMD to a similar extent (42 and 41%, respectively, P < 0.01 for both). The improvements in CVR and FMD were not correlated. Resting blood pressure did not alter with supplementation. Dose and treatment duration were well tolerated by participants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  WGOE supplementation can improve vasodilator function in systemic and cerebral arteries, suggesting a potential role in the maintenance of cardiovascular health.
authors.affiliation: Nutritional Physiology Research Centre, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Rachel H X
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Peter R C
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Howe
authors.forename: Alison M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Coates
authors.forename: Jonathan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Buckley
authors.forename: Narelle M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Berry
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018554:Avena; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000502:physiology*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts