Conclusions : Pooled analyses show that barley β-glucan has a lowering effect on LDL-C and non-HDL-C. Inclusion of barley-containing foods may be a strategy for achieving targets in CVD risk reduction
Background / Objectives : There has been recent interest in barley as a therapeutic food owing to its high content of beta-glucan ( β-glucan ) , a viscous soluble fiber recognized for its cholesterol-lowering properties .
The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta- analysis of r and omized controlled trials ( RCTs ) investigating the cholesterol-lowering potential of barley β-glucan on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( LDL-C ) , non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( non-HDL-C ) and apolipoprotein B ( apoB ) for cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) risk reduction .
Viscosity rather than quantity of dietary fibre predicts cholesterol-lowering effect in healthy individuals.
The well-documented lipid-lowering effects of fibre may be related to its viscosity , a phenomenon that has been understudied , especially when fibre is given against the background of a typical North American ( NA ) diet . In this three-arm experiment , we compared the lipid-lowering effect of low-viscosity wheat bran ( WB ) , medium-viscosity psyllium ( PSY ) and a high-viscosity viscous fibre blend ( VFB ) , as part of a fibre intervention aim ed at increasing fibre intake to recommended levels within the context of a NA diet in apparently healthy individuals . Using a r and omised cross-over design , twenty-three participants ( twelve males and eleven females ; age 35 ( SD 12 ) years ; LDL-cholesterol ( C ) 2.9 ( SEM 0.6 ) mmol/l ) consuming a typical NA diet received a st and ard , fibre-enriched cereal , where approximately one-third of the fibre was either a low-viscosity ( 570 centipoise ( cP ) ) WB , medium-viscosity ( 14,300 cP ) PSY or a high-viscosity ( 136,300 cP ) novel VFB , for 3 weeks separated by washout periods of ≥ 2 weeks . There were no differences among the treatments in the amount of food consumed , total dietary fibre intake , reported physical activity and body weight . Final intake of the WB , PSY and VFB was 10.8 , 9.0 and 5.1 g , respectively . Reduction in LDL-C was greater with the VFB compared with the medium-viscosity PSY ( -12.6 ( SEM 3.5 ) % , P = 0.002 ) and low-viscosity WB ( -14.6 ( SEM 4.2 ) % , P = 0.003 ) . The magnitude of LDL-C reduction showed a positive association with fibre apparent viscosity ( r - 0.41 , P = 0.001 ) . Despite the smaller quantity consumed , the high-viscosity fibre lowered LDL-C to a greater extent than lower-viscosity fibres . These data support the inclusion of high-viscosity fibre in the diet to reduce plasma lipids among apparently healthy individuals consuming a typical NA diet
Conclusions : Pooled analyses show that barley β-glucan has a lowering effect on LDL-C and non-HDL-C. Inclusion of barley-containing foods may be a strategy for achieving targets in CVD risk reduction
Background / Objectives : There has been recent interest in barley as a therapeutic food owing to its high content of beta-glucan ( β-glucan ) , a viscous soluble fiber recognized for its cholesterol-lowering properties .
The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta- analysis of r and omized controlled trials ( RCTs ) investigating the cholesterol-lowering potential of barley β-glucan on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( LDL-C ) , non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( non-HDL-C ) and apolipoprotein B ( apoB ) for cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) risk reduction .