Barleyis a whole grain that can be eaten alone or added to many foods. It is used mostly in the malting industry and for livestock feed. It was not usually used as a food source in humans in the past.
Now, barley is being used more in balanced diets because of its health benefits. Studies show many positive health effects of including barley in your diet. It improves digestion, and blood glucose levels in people withdiabetesandheart conditions.
Recent studies also show that barley may be helpful in keeping your cholesterol levels in check.
This article will explain how barley can help lower cholesterol levels and how to make it part of a healthy diet. It will also discuss the right amount a person should eat.
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Does Barley Reduce Cholesterol?
Barley contains vitamins, antioxidants, and an importantsoluble fibercalledbeta-glucan. This heart-healthy fiber helps lower cholesterol levels. It is also found in other grains, such as oats. Beta-glucan makes it harder for cholesterol and fat to get into the bloodstream.
Bile acids are formed from cholesterol. Through bile acid sythesis, the cholesterol is broken down and removed from the body.
The researchers also found that consuming 3 grams of beta-glucan daily helped reduce total cholesterol in participants.
Recap
How Much Barley Should You Consume?
You would need to consume at least 3 grams of beta-glucan to see lower cholesterol. About one cup of cooked pearled barley equals 2.5 grams of beta-glucan fiber. One-half cup of barley flakes equals about 2 grams of beta-glucan. This is the amount you would need to eat to see the same results in the studies. Always check food labels for beta-glucan content.
There are many ways you can include barley in your cholesterol-lowering diet. Barley can be eaten as a warm, breakfast cereal. It can also be used in salads and side dishes or added to main dishes.
Summary
Barley is a heart-healthy ingredient that can be added to your diet to help control your cholesterol levels. The FDA allowed a health claim to be placed on barley packages. It says that the soluble fiber in the food may help reduce your risk of heart disease.
Most of the studies about the effect of barley on cholesterol levels looked at people with mildly to moderately high cholesterol levels. It is hard to say if cholesterol levels can lower more in people with a healthy cholesterol range.
The vitamins and soluble fiber contained in this heart-healthy fiber can be a helpful addition to any healthy diet. However, if you have certain medical conditions, barley may aggravate them. These include irritable bowel syndrome or celiac disease. Consult with your doctor for other heart-healthy fiber options.
6 Sources
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St. Michael’s Hospital.Barley lowers not one but two types of ‘bad cholesterol,’ review suggests: Barley likely has similar cholesterol-lowering effects as oats.ScienceDaily.
Henrion M, Francey C, Lê KA, Lamothe L.Cereal B-Glucans: The impact of processing and how it affects physiological responses.Nutrients. 2019;11(8):1729. doi:10.3390/nu11081729
Wang Y, Harding SV, Thandapilly SJ, Tosh SM, Jones PJ, Ames NP.Barleyβ-glucan reduces blood cholesterol levels via interrupting bile acid metabolism.British Journal of Nutrition. 2017;118(10):822-829. doi:10.1017/s0007114517002835
National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD).Bile acid synthesis disorders.
Ho HV, Sievenpiper JL, Zurbau A, et al.A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of the effect of barley β-glucan on LDL-C, non-HDL-C and APOB for cardiovascular disease risk reductioni-IV.European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2016;70(11):1239-1245. doi:10.1038/ejcn.2016.89
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