Search resultsEffect of high β-glucan barley on serum cholesterol concentrations and visceral fat area in Japanese men - A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial
Title
Effect of high β-glucan barley on serum cholesterol concentrations and visceral fat area in Japanese men - A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial
Publication type
Journal Article
Year of Publication
2008
Authors
Journal
Plant Foods for Human Nutrition
Volume
63
Issue
1
Pagination
21 - 25
Date published
2008
ISBN
09219668 (ISSN)
Keywords
Adult, Anticholesteremic Agents, article, barley, Barley β-glucan, beta glucan, beta-Glucans, blood, body mass, Body Mass Index, chemistry, Cholesterol, Cholesterol, HDL, Cholesterol, LDL, clinical trial, controlled clinical trial, controlled study, double blind procedure, Double-Blind Method, drug effect, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, Hordeum, human, Humans, Hypercholesterolemia, hypocholesterolemic agent, Intra-Abdominal Fat, intraabdominal fat, Japan, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, male, Metabolic syndrome, metabolism, randomized controlled trial, triacylglycerol, Triglycerides, Visceral fat, waist circumference, waist hip ratio, Waist-Hip Ratio
Abstract
This study investigated whether the consumption of a diet in which high-β-glucan barley replaced rice would reduce the visceral fat area as well as the serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and total cholesterol (TC) in hypercholesterolemic Japanese men. A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled intervention study was conducted in 44 hypercholesterolemic Japanese men with a body mass index (BMI) >22 kg/m 2. The subjects were randomly assigned to groups consuming either rice (placebo group) or a mixture of rice and pearl barley with a high β-glucan content (test group, 7.0 g β-glucan per day) for 12 weeks. Blood samples were taken, and CT scan obtained before the trial and every four weeks during the trial. The pearl barley intake significantly reduced serum concentrations of LDL-C (P=0.041) and TC (P=0.037) during the trial. Significant differences between the test and placebo groups were found for the visceral fat (P=0.039), BMI (P=0.015), and waist circumference (P=0.011) at the end point. The consumption of pearl barley with a high β-glucan content reduces not only LDL-C but also visceral fat area.