Role of dietary beta-glucans in the prevention of the metabolic syndrome

Abstract

The present review examines the evidence regarding the effect of β‐glucan on variables linked to the metabolic syndrome (MetS), including appetite control, glucose control, hypertension, and gut microbiota composition. Appetite control can indirectly influence MetS by inducing a decreased energy intake, and promising results for a β‐glucan intake to decrease appetite have been found using gut hormone responses and subjective appetite indicators. Beta‐glucan also improves the glycemic index of meals and beneficially influences glucose metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes or MetS, as well as in healthy subjects. Furthermore, a blood‐pressure‐lowering effect of β‐glucan in hypertensive subjects seems fairly well substantiated. The gut microbiota composition might be an interesting target to prevent MetS, and preliminary results indicate the prebiotic potential of β‐glucan. The evidence that β‐glucan influences appetite control and gut microbiota in a positive way is still insufficient or difficult to interpret, and additional studies are needed in this field. Still, much evidence indicates that increased β‐glucan intake could prevent MetS. Such evidence should encourage increased efforts toward the development of β‐glucan‐containing functional foods and promote the intake of β‐glucan‐rich foods, with the aim of reducing healthcare costs and disease prevalence.

Effect of Whole-Grain Barley on the Human Fecal Microbiota and Metabolome

“…A pilot study with polypectomized patients showed no significant effect of ␤-glucans on the fecal microbiota and concentration of SCFA (27). The evidence that ␤-glucans positively influence the human intestinal microbiota is still insufficient for interpretation or difficult to interpret, and additional studies are needed to fill this gap (5).…”

“…Most current research on novel functional foods is focused on the selection and characterization of prebiotics (e.g., inulin, fructooligosaccharides and galactooligosaccharides), which are not digested by human gastrointestinal enzymes but selectively stimulate the growth and/or activity of generally regarded as safe (GRAS) bacteria that may improve host health (19). Indeed, a prebiotic effect of ␤-glucans on the intestinal microbiota was also hypothesized (5). In particular, the positive effects of ␤-glucans on the growth of beneficial intestinal lactobacilli and bifidobacteria were shown in in vitro studies (20,21) and animal experiments (22,23).…”

“…The European Food Safety Authority recognized that the "regular consumption of oat ␤-glucans can actively lower/reduce blood LDL-cholesterol and total cholesterol" (3). In addition to reducing cholesterol, the positive associations between the consumption of ␤-glucans and the reduction/prevention of cardiovascular diseases, as well as the reduction of glycemia, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome, have been well documented (4,5). The minimum dose of 3 g/day of ␤-glucans is recommended to achieve positive effects on human health (1,3,6).…”

Effect of Macronutrient Composition on Short-Term Food Intake and Weight Loss

“…Dietary fiber, sugars, and starches (including resistant starch) are the 3 major categories of carbohydrate. Dietary fibers, including soluble and insoluble, benefit human health through their effects on satiety, glycemia, gut microflora composition, and lipid profile (17). Sugars include monosaccharides, such as glucose, fructose, and galactose, and disaccharides, such as sucrose, maltose, and lactose.…”

Automated static image analysis as a novel tool in describing the physical properties of dietary fiber

“…Dietary fiber performs many significant physiological and metabolic functions in the human organism, such as increased intestinal peristalsis, binding of cholesterol, and biliary acids (Cloetens et al, 2012). Thus, there is a growing interest in enriching food with dietary fiber in order to create a new functional food option (Melanson et al, 2006;Ozen et al, 2012) Generally, supplementary dietary fiber occurs mainly in a form of powder.…”