title: Quantitative assessment of the effects of beta-glucan consumption on serum lipid profile and glucose level in hypercholesterolemic subjects.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A growing body of evidence suggests that beta-glucan derived from oats or barley can reduce cardiovascular disease risk through reductions in serum lipids. However, the effects of beta-glucan on lipid changes in hypercholesterolemic patient groups are inconsistent. The objective of this study was to identify and quantify the effect of beta-glucan, a marker of water-soluble fiber, on various lipid parameters and glucose level in hypercholesterolemic subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We performed a comprehensive literature search to identify the relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the effects of beta-glucan consumption in hypercholesterolemic subjects. Mean differences (MDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for net changes in lipid concentrations by using fixed-effects or random-effects models according to heterogeneity. Publication bias, sensitivity analysis and subgroup analyses were also performed. Seventeen eligible RCTs with 916 subjects were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled result showed that beta-glucan consumption in hypercholesterolemic population significantly lowered the total cholesterol (TC) (MD, -0.26 mmol/L; 95% CI, -0.33 to -0.18; P < 0.00001) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol concentration (MD, -0.21 mmol/L; 95% CI, -0.27 to -0.14; P < 0.00001). However, there were no significant differences in high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, triglycerides (TG) and glucose. No adverse effects were reported among the eligible trials.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our meta-analysis showed that beta-glucan consumption significantly decreased TC and LDL-cholesterol concentrations but did not affect TG, HDL-cholesterol, and glucose concentrations in hypercholesterolemic subjects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, People's Hospital of Gaozhou, Gaozhou 525200, Guangdong, China. Electronic address: Metro1168@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, People's Hospital of Gaozhou, Gaozhou 525200, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, People's Hospital of Gaozhou, Gaozhou 525200, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, People's Hospital of Gaozhou, Gaozhou 525200, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, People's Hospital of Gaozhou, Gaozhou 525200, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, People's Hospital of Gaozhou, Gaozhou 525200, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mo
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, People's Hospital of Gaozhou, Gaozhou 525200, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, People's Hospital of Gaozhou, Gaozhou 525200, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D018554:Avena / Q000737:chemistry; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000187:drug effects; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D001467:Hordeum / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000178:diet therapy*; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D047071:beta-Glucans / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D004043:Dietary Fiber; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL; D014280:Triglycerides; D047071:beta-Glucans; D002784:Cholesterol
keywords: Beta-glucan; Dietary fiber; Hypercholesterolemic; Meta-analysis; Serum lipids