With dietary fiber, both the amount and the type you consume are important, as different types of fiber have different beneficial effects on health. Beta-glucan is the main type of soluble fiber found in oats. It is also found in smaller amounts in barley and other grains, yeast, seaweed and some types of mushrooms. This soluble fiber has multiple beneficial effects on your health, lowering your risk for heart disease, obesity, diabetes and cancer.
Consuming foods containing beta-glucan may lower your risk for heart disease by lowering your LDL, or bad cholesterol, raising your HDL, or good cholesterol, and lowering your blood pressure, according to an article published in "Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety" in July 2012. The effect seems to be greater in older people who have high cholesterol than in younger people with normal cholesterol levels.
Beta-glucan might also lower your risk for obesity. According to an article published in 2012 in the "Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism," consuming beta-glucan may increase your feelings of fullness and help you eat less, although consuming at least 4 to 6 grams of beta-glucan is needed to experience these effects. One cup of uncooked oats contains about 4 grams of beta-glucan.
Diabetics and those with high blood sugar may benefit from consuming beta-glucan. After-meal blood-glucose levels are lower after consuming meals containing beta-glucan than after consuming similar meals containing no soluble fiber. This is most likely due to the delayed emptying of the stomach caused by this soluble fiber, notes an article published in December 2008 in "Vascular Health and Risk Management." This delay causes glucose to be absorbed more slowly, limiting spikes in blood glucose and insulin as well as decreasing your appetite.
Research has also shown that beta-glucans, including those from mushrooms and yeasts, have anti-tumor and anti-cancer effects, according to the article in "Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety" in July 2012. Beta-glucan activates specific white blood cells, called neutrophils, that don't normally fight cancer, causing these cells to help rid the body of tumors.
Articles For Your Diet
- Nutrition Reviews: Role of Dietary Beta-glucans in the Prevention of the Metabolic Syndrome
- Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism: Beta Glucan: Health Benefits in Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome
- Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety: Oat Beta-Glucan: Its Role in Health Promotion and Prevention of Diseases
- Vascular Health and Risk Management: Beta-glucans in the Treatment of Diabetes and Associated Cardiovascular Risks
- Oats image by kuhar from Fotolia.com