Meta-analysis of the effect of β-glucan intake on blood cholesterol and glucose levels

Abstract Objective A meta-analysis was performed on epidemiologic studies to assess the relation between β-glucan consumption from oats and from barley on blood cholesterol level, triglyceride/triacylglycerol (TGL/TAG) level, and blood glucose level (BGL) in humans. In addition, the effect of β-glucan on total cholesterol (TC) and BGL was translated into an empirical dose–response model. Methods Thirty research articles that evaluated the effect of different exposure levels of β-glucan on blood cholesterol and BGL were analyzed, yielding 126 clinical studies. Results There was a significant inverse relation in TC (−0.60 mmol/L, 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.85 to −0.34), low-density lipoprotein (−0.66 mmol/L, 95% CI −0.96 to −0.36), and TGL/TAG (−0.04 mmol/L, 95% CI −0.15 to 0.07) after consumption of β-glucan. In contrast, an increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was noted (0.03 mmol/L, 95% CI −0.06 to 0.13) with the random-effect model. The analysis showed a significant change in BGL (−2.58 mmol/L, 95% CI −3.22 to −1.84) with high heterogeneity between ( I2 = 97%) and across (τ2 = 5.88) the studies. The fixed-effect model showed a significant change in TC, low-density lipoprotein, and BGL, whereas it showed no significant changes in high-density lipoprotein and TGL/TAG. The dose–response model showed that a 3-g/d dose of oat or barley β-glucan was sufficient to decrease TC. Conclusion Consumption of 3 g/d of oat or barley β-glucan is sufficient to decrease blood cholesterol, whereas the effect on BGL is still inconclusive, with high heterogeneity, and requires further clinical research studies with longer intervention periods.