Table 14.
Cholesterol and blood lowering effects of β-glucans—human study.
| β-Glucan | Organism | Analysis | Results | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oat β-glucan | 30–65 years old men and women with LDL-cholesterol levels of >3.37 mmol/L | Changes in total-, LDL-, and HDL-cholesterol levels | Significantly decreased total-, and LDL-cholesterol concentrations. | [202] |
| Barley β-glucan | 21–42 years old healthy men with total-cholesterol levels (between 4.1 and 6.2 mmol/L), triacylglycerol levels (<2.26 mmol/L), and a BMI range of 22–25 or 27–29 kg/m2 | Changes in plasma glucose, insulin, triacylglycerol, cholesterol concentrations, and Radioimmunoassay | Increased plasma glucose, insulin, triacylglycerol and cholecystokinin levels. Stimulation of reverse cholesterol transport mechanism. | [191] |
| Yeast β-glucan | 20–60 years old hypercholesterolemic obese male patients with serum total cholesterol concentrations of >6.21 mmol/L | Changes in plasma total-, LDL-, and HDL- cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels | Reduced plasma total-, HDL- and LDL-cholesterol concentrations. Triacylglycerol concentrations did not change significantly. | [203] |
| Oat β-glucan | 30–70 years old mild-to-moderate hyperlipidemic healthy men and women, with a BMI range of 20–32 kg/m2 | Changes in total-, LDL-, and HDL-cholesterol, triacylglycerol, glucose, insulin, postprandial triacylglycerol, glucose, and insulin concentrations | No significant difference in total-, or LDL-cholesterol at a low dosage of β-glucan (3 g/d). | [204] |
| Oat β-glucan | 33–82 years old hyperlipidemic men and women | Changes in blood lipids, apolipoproteins, cardiovascular risk factor, blood pressure, and gastrointestinal symptoms | Reduced total-, total- to HDL-cholesterol ratio, LDL- to HDL-cholesterol ratio. Apolipoprotein (B:A-I) reduction in CVD risk, and small reduction in blood pressure. | [205] |
| Barley β-glucan | 18–65 years old mildly hyperlipidemic men, with a BMI range of 22–32 kg/m2 | Changes in total-, LDL-, and HDL-cholesterol, triacylglycerol, fasting plasma glucose, and postprandial plasma glucose levels | No significant change in total-, LDL- or HDL-cholesterol, triacylglycerol, fasting glucose, or postprandial glucose. | [206] |
| Oat β-glucan | 18–65 years old mildly hypercholesterolemic men and women, with a BMI range of >30 kg/m2 | Changes in total-, HDL-, LDL- cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels. High performance size-exclusion chromatography | Decreased LDL-, and ratio of total- to HDL-cholesterol concentrations. No significant change in HDL-cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels. | [207] |
| Barley β-glucan | 28–62 years old moderately hypercholesterolemic men | Changes in total-, HDL-, and LDL-cholesterol, and triacylglycerol concentrations, and NMR | Significantly lowered triacylglycerols, total-, and LDL-cholesterol, but higher HDL-cholesterol concentrations. | [25] |
| Barley β-glucan | 38–53 years old mildly hypercholesterolemic men and women with a BMI range of 25–37 kg/m2 | Changes in cholesterol, and triacylglycerol levels, and NMR | Lowered total-, and HDL-cholesterol concentrations. Triacylglycerol concentration did not differ. | [26] |
| Oat β-glucan | 30–65 years old men and women with elevated blood pressure or stage-1 hypertension | Changes in plasma glucose, insulin levels, and blood pressure | Lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure. | [208] |
| Oat β-glucan | More than 40 years old men and women with elevated blood pressure (between 130 and 179 mm Hg), controlled with anti-hypertensive medications | Clinical laboratory measurements of plasma glucose and insulin levels, Oxidative stress, and Blood pressure | Lowered insulin levels, and systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Biomarkers of oxidative stress did not show significant differences. | [209] |
| Oat β-glucan | 22–65 years old hypercholesterolemic men and women at a risk for CVD | Changes in total-, HDL-, and LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, insulin, homocysteine, and CRP levels, and blood pressure | Significant reduction in total-, LDL-cholesterol in subjects with elevated cholesterol levels, and a significant reduction of lipids. | [109] |
| Barley β-glucan | 30–60 years old hypercholesterolemic Japanese men with a BMI range of >22 kg/m2 | CT-scan, Blood analysis for serum TG, TC, LDL-, and HDL-cholesterol levels | Significant reduction in serum concentration of LDL-C, TC, and visceral fat area. | [210] |
| Oat β-glucan | 50–75 years old patients (both men and women) with T2D, LDL-cholesterol concentration (>3.37 mmol/L), and a BMI range of 23–35 kg/m2 | Changes in BMI, waist circumference, LDL-, Total-, HDL-, and non-HDL-cholesterol concentrations, HbA, and systolic BP | Significant reduction in LDL-, total-cholesterol concentrations, FPI, and Homa-IR. Improvement in lipid profile and insulin resistance in patients with T2D. | [27] |
LDL: Low-density lipoprotein; HDL: High-density lipoprotein; BMI: Body mass index; CVD: Cardiovascular disease; NMR: Nuclear magnetic resonance; CRP: C-reactive protein; CT-scan: Computerized axial tomography; TG: triglycerides; TC: Total cholesterol; T2D: Type 2 diabetes; BP: Blood pressure; FPI: Fasting plasma insulin; Homa-IR: Homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance.