Oat Beta‐Glucan: Its Role in Health Promotion and Prevention of Diseases

Abstract

: This article presents an overview of the recent advances into the health promoting potentials of oat β‐glucan. Oat β‐glucan (OβG) consists mainly of the linear polysaccharide (1→3), (1→4)‐β‐D‐glucan and is often called β‐glucan. This soluble oat fiber is able to attenuate blood postprandial glycemic and insulinemic responses, to lower blood total cholesterol and low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and to improve high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and blood lipid profiles as well as to maintain body weight. Thus, OβG intake is beneficial in the prevention, treatment, and control of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, OβG can stimulate immune functions by activating monocytes/macrophages and increasing the amounts of immunoglobulin, NK cells, killer T‐cells, and so on, which will improve resistance to cancer and infectious and parasitic diseases, as well as increase biological therapies and their prevention. All these health benefits of OβG may be explained by its physicochemical properties (such as viscosity, molecular weight) which can be affected by extraction methods and its behavior in gastrointestinal tract. Articles documenting these health benefits and effects are reviewed.

Prebiotics: An Emerging Nutritional Approach for Improving Gut Health of Livestock and Poultry

“…Supplementation of MOS reduced plasma triglyceride of dogs (Kore et al, 2009). The oat $-glucan can attenuate blood postprandial glycemic and insulinemic responses, lower blood total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol and improve High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and blood lipid profiles as well as to maintain body weight (Daou and Zhang, 2012).…”

Effect of Substitution of β-Glucans on the Glycemic Response and Thermal Properties of Four Common Starches

“…Besides having negligible caloric value, beneficial roles of β-glucans include hypoglycemic, antihypercholesterolemic, antihypertensive, immunomodulatory, weight management, and wound healing properties, all of which are either risk factors or consequences of DM [10].…”

“…Some β-glucans are soluble, such as the ones found in oats and barley, composed of linear (1,3)(1,4) β-glucans, while others are insoluble, such as those found in fungi composed of branched (1,3)(1,6) β-glucans [9]. Similarly, β-glucans vary in other physicochemical characteristics such as viscosity, molecular weight, and fermentation, which determine their potential health benefits in the body [7,10].…”

“…Numerous health benefits of β-glucans have been discovered, leading to the increased popularity and consumption of oats and oat products [10], in addition to their recent use as active food components [9]. Besides having negligible caloric value, beneficial roles of β-glucans include hypoglycemic, antihypercholesterolemic, antihypertensive, immunomodulatory, weight management, and wound healing properties, all of which are either risk factors or consequences of DM [10].…”

“…β-glucans are non-starch polysaccharides composed of D-glucose units joined together in chains via β-glycosidic bonds [8]. They are naturally found in fungi, yeast, bacteria, and in cereal grains, such as barley and oats, and in fewer amounts in wheat and rye, where they are located in the cell wall of the endosperm [9,10]. Some β-glucans are soluble, such as the ones found in oats and barley, composed of linear (1,3)(1,4) β-glucans, while others are insoluble, such as those found in fungi composed of branched (1,3)(1,6) β-glucans [9].…”