Mechanism of cholesterol-lowering effect of barley Beta-glucan
Yanan Wang Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab. Vol. 39 2014 p:641
The cholesterol-lowering effect of barley Beta-glucan has been docu-
mented in a number of animal and human studies. Inhibiting choles-
terol absorption and interrupting bile acid metabolism are the mainly
proposed mechanisms of action. However, these mechanisms have
not been studied adequately. This study was designed to examine
the potential mechanisms of the cholesterol-lowering
property of Beta-glucan.
In a controlled, four phase crossover trial, mildly hypercho-
lesterolemic but otherwise healthy subjects (n = 30) were randomly
assigned to receive barley breakfast containing 3 g high molecular
weight (MW), 5 g low MW, 3 g low MW barley Beta-glucan or a control
diet, each for 5 weeks. Cholesterol absorption was determined by as-
sessing the enrichment of 13C-cholesterol over 96 hours following
oral administration; bile acid synthesis was determined by measuring
the level of serum 7 Beta-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one (7 Beta-HC). Compared
with control, 3g high MW resulted in a greater total cholesterol re-
duction (−0.60 mmol/l vs. −0.30 mmol/l,p= 0.044), a higher level of
7 Beta-HC production (14.13 ng/ml vs. 10.96 ng/ml, p= 0.047), but not low
MW Beta-glucan, even at the high dose of 5 g/day. No difference in cho-
lesterol absorption was observed between barley Beta-glucan and control
diet (p= 0.26).
In summary, daily consuming 3 g high MW but not 5 g
low MW or 3 g low MW Beta-glucan lowered serum cholesterol concen-
trations. More importantly, these data suggest that the increased bile
acid synthesis rather than inhibition of cholesterol absorption may be
the mechanism responsible for the cholesterol-lowering effect of bar-
ley Beta-glucan.