Articles Researching Barley and Beta-Glucan

Abstract
This study investigated whether the consumption of a diet in which high-β-glucan barley
replaced rice would reduce the visceral fat area as well as the serum low-density
lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and total cholesterol (TC) in hypercholesterolemic
Japanese men. A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled intervention study was
conducted in 44 hypercholesterolemic Japanese men with a body mass index (BMI)
>22 kg/m2. The subjects were randomly assigned to groups consuming either rice
(placebo group) or a mixture of rice and pearl barley with a high β-glucan content (test
group, 7.0 g β-glucan per day) for 12 weeks. Blood samples were taken, and CT scan
obtained before the trial and every four weeks during the trial. The pearl barley intake
significantly reduced serum concentrations of LDL-C (P = 0.041) and TC (P = 0.037)
during the trial. Significant differences between the test and placebo groups were found
for the visceral fat (P = 0.039), BMI (P = 0.015), and waist circumference (P = 0.011) at the
end point. The consumption of pearl barley with a high β-glucan content reduces not only
LDL-C but also visceral fat area.

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