Serum lipids and postprandial glucose and insulin levels in hyperlipidemic subjects after consumption of an oat beta-glucan-containing ready meal.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether a daily intake of a nutrient-balanced ready meal containing 4 g of oat beta-glucans lowers total cholesterol (T-C) and low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in hyperlipidemic subjects and to evaluate its effect on postprandial glucose and insulin concentrations.


METHODS
A parallel, placebo-controlled trial was carried out in 43 healthy men and women with elevated serum cholesterol levels. During the 3-week run-in period, all subjects consumed daily a ready-meal soup, low in energy and fat and high in fiber but without oat beta-glucans. Subjects were then randomly assigned for the following 5-week intervention period to either continue consumption of the control soup or an equal soup supplemented with beta-glucan.


RESULTS
Consumption of the beta-glucan-enriched ready meal decreased T-C (0.22 +/- 0.41 mmol/l) and LDL-C (0.16 +/- 0.36 mmol/l), but the reductions were not significantly lower compared with control. After a meal with beta-glucan soup, neither postprandial glucose nor insulin concentrations were significantly different from those after a control soup.


CONCLUSIONS
A daily dose of 4 g of oat beta-glucans incorporated into a healthy ready meal did not significantly lower T-C and LDL-C compared with an equal ready meal without beta-glucans. Thus, if a food product fulfils general healthy dietary recommendations it may not necessarily be a candidate for supplementation with beta-glucans.
Biörklund
M
M
Biomedical Nutrition, Center for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Holm
J
J
Onning
G
G
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001055:Apolipoproteins B / Q000097:blood; D018554:Avena / Q000737:chemistry; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis*; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000097:blood / Q000178:diet therapy*; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019518:Postprandial Period; D012527:Satiation; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D047071:beta-Glucans / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D001055:Apolipoproteins B; D001786:Blood Glucose; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D004043:Dietary Fiber; D007328:Insulin; D014280:Triglycerides; D047071:beta-Glucans; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D002784:Cholesterol