Avenanthramides
Specific molecules
Polyphenols that only oats produce, in no other known food.
A one-food molecule: if oats drop out of the week, it falls to zero.
Effects and benefits
Polyphenols only oats make, which give oat baths their soothing effect on itching. In one trial, oat cookies rich in them reduced inflammation after intense exercise.
Avenanthramides soothe the skin by curbing the release of histamine and inflammatory molecules (Sur et al., 2008): that is why colloidal oatmeal is recognized in the United States as a skin protectant.
In women over fifty, eight weeks of cookies enriched with avenanthramides reduced inflammation markers after a session of intense exercise (Koenig et al., 2014). They are mostly in the bran and outer layer of the grain: whole flakes and oat bran keep the most.
Sources: Sur et al., Arch Dermatol Res, 2008 · Koenig et al., Nutrients, 2014