Before learning about the utility of beta-glucans for weight loss, let’s discuss the highly prevalent disease of obesity. Obesity is a complicated disease that is caused by having too much body fat. Obesity is more than just a matter of looks. It is a medical condition that makes you more likely to get heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and some types of cancer. In this article, we will discuss the role of Beta-glucans in weight loss.
Beta-glucans also called glucans, are a type of D-glucose polysaccharides (glucans) that are naturally found in the cell walls of cereals, bacteria, and fungi. Depending on the source, beta-glucans have very different physical and chemical properties. Glucans usually have a straight backbone with 1–3 glycosidic linkages, but their molecular mass, solubility, viscosity, branching structure, and gelation properties vary, which causes a wide range of physiological effects in animals.
If you eat at least 3 g of oat fiber-glucan every day, it lowers the amount of LDL cholesterol in your blood. This could lower your risk of heart disease. Glucans are natural gums that use as thickeners and soluble fiber supplements in a wide range of nutraceutical and cosmetic products.
Beta-glucan is a water-soluble fiber that is found in oats, barley, bacteria, yeast, algae, and mushrooms. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is used to make bread, has the most glucan in its cell wall. Beta-glucan is a polysaccharide made from glucose that dissolves in water.
B-glucan is a type of polysaccharide that doesn’t have any starch and loves water. When added to food, it is known for its ability to change functional properties like viscosity, rheology, texture, and sensory aspects.
The way glucans work depends on where they come from, how big they are, and how they are put together. The molecular weight and structural/conformational properties of glucan are affected by how it is taken out and changed. Chemical agents, enzyme hydrolysis, mechanical treatment, and irradiation, for example, change both the spatial conformation and the primary structures of glucan, while physical modification techniques only change the spatial structures.
Because of this, beta-glucan can change into forms with good shape, texture, and bio-functional properties.
Manufacturers of supplements sometimes say that the fiber in beta-glucan supplements makes you feel fuller. This might make you want to eat less, which could help you lose weight. There isn’t enough evidence, though, to say that beta-glucans can help you lose weight.
Because beta-glucans have fiber, they make you feel fuller. But you might stop wanting to eat and stop eating foods that are bad for you. The more weight you lose, the less you eat. It also helps lower cholesterol, which is another of beta-glucans main benefits. This lowers the risk of obesity and many other problems that can come with it, like heart disease and cancer.
Beta-glucans that are made from yeast may help lower cholesterol. Studies have shown that they help lower total cholesterol and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol a little bit. They don’t seem to have any effect on HDL or triglycerides, though. Beta-glucans investigate certain types of cancer. One study found that giving chemotherapy to people with stomach cancer along with lentinan, which is a type of beta-glucan, can help them live longer. More research needs to find out if it works. Research suggests that beta-glucans may also help people with cancers of the cervical and head and neck. They may also help some people with advanced cancer live longer. Again, more research need. It does not look like beta-glucans kill cancer cells directly. Scientists think that they may help your immune system fight cancer and other diseases better.
Beta-glucans have been studied for their hypocholesterolemic effects. Which include reducing cholesterol and bile acid absorption in the intestine by binding to glucans, switching the liver from making cholesterol to making bile acid, and fermentation of short-chain fatty acids by intestinal bacteria. Which absorbe and stop the liver from making cholesterol. Several studies have also found that beta-glucans lower glycemic and insulin responses. Also, beta-1, 3-glucans strengthen the body’s defenses against foreign invaders by making macrophages, neutrophils, and natural killer cells better able to respond to and fight bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, and other threats.
Adults have taken beta-glucans made from oats or barley for 3–12 weeks at a dose of 2–6 grams per day.
People often take 250–500 mg of yeast-based beta-glucans orally every day for 4–12 weeks.
One of the benefits of beta-glucan that has been studied the most is how it affects cholesterol levels in the blood. Beta-glucan can bind to bile acids and help the body get rid of them. The liver uses the body’s stores of cholesterol to make bile acids, and when they leave the body, the liver has to use up more cholesterol to make more bile acids.
Here are the dietary products that contain the most beta-glucan:
Oats are one of the best places to get beta-glucan, with 3 to 8 grams in a 3.5-ounce serving. The oats may be the food source of beta-glucan that has been studied the most. They link to a number of health benefits, such as lower total and LDL cholesterol levels, lower risk of heart disease, and lower blood sugar levels. Try them in these oat dinner recipes with a lot of fiber (yes, you can enjoy oats any time of the day). If you don’t have much time, overnight oats might be the best option.
Barley and oats are in a race to be the food with the most beta-glucan. Per 3.5 ounces of barley, there are 2 to 20 grams of beta-glucan.
In June 2016, the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the results of a study that showed that eating 6.5 to 6.9 grams of barley glucans every day cut total and LDL (bad) cholesterol by 7% in people with normal and high cholesterol levels. This cereal grain can help lower cholesterol, so try cooking it in a slow cooker for a mostly hands-off meal.
Beta-glucan is found in a lot of Reishi mushrooms. Along with maitake, shiitake, and Chaga mushrooms, they consider medicinal mushrooms because they have many health benefits. The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center says that reishi mushrooms might make your immune system stronger and help your body fight off bacteria, viruses, and other harmful substances. In animal lab studies, the beta-glucan in reishi helped stop or slow the growth of cancer cells and kept them from spreading.
Shiitake mushrooms are another easy-to-eat food that contains beta-glucan. Because they fight cancer, these mushrooms sometimes suggest part of cancer treatment. A study published in September 2014 in the journal Mycobiology found that they also lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. This entry came out on August 1, 2010.
If you eat a plant-based diet, you may already know about nutritional yeast, which is also called “nooch,” and loves it. It has a lot of beta-glucan, and, more interestingly, a study published in Nutrition Journal in April 2014 found that the type of beta-glucan found in yeast helps the immune system. This entry came out on August 1, 2010.
The USDA says that nutritional yeast is also a great source of many B vitamins, like vitamins B6 and B12, folate, thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) says that because vitamin B12 is mostly found in animal products, people who follow a vegan or plant-based diet may have trouble getting enough vitamin B12 without a supplement. Nooch can help in this case. You can make these plant-based recipes taste like cheese by adding nutritional yeast.
Iodine and beta-glucan can be found in seaweed snacks. Yes, seaweed is edible. Also, brown seaweed like kelp is very healthy and full of beta-glucan. According to a review published in September 2017 in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, beta-glucan from brown seaweed can fight tumors and boost the immune system.
Seaweed is also one of the best ways to get iodine from food. The NIH says that 1 tablespoon (10 grams) of nori, a type of seaweed, has 155% of the DV for iodine.
Most beta-glucan is found in oats and barley, but rye, wheat, and sorghum are also good sources of this prebiotic fiber. Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism research shows that a 3.5-ounce serving of rye has between 1.3 and 2.7 grams of beta-glucan. This entry came out on August 1, 2010.
Wheat doesn’t have as much beta-glucan as some other grains, but it does have a fair amount. Half a gram to one gram of beta-glucan is in a 3.5-ounce serving of wheat. In the same amount of sorghum, there are between 1.6 and 6.2 grams. Beta-glucan is also found in rice, but only in very small amounts (0.13 grams per 3.5-ounce serving). To get the benefits, make sure you’re eating whole-wheat bread and not just brown bread.
– Beta-glucans made from yeast or fungi that dissolve in water seem safe to take by mouth. Some possible side effects are Diarrhea
– Illness and puking. Beta-glucans are sometimes given through an IV by doctors’ orders. Some possible side effects are;
– Back pain, Blood pressure goes up or down
– Chills, Diarrhea
– Dizziness, Excessive urination
– Fever, Flushing
– Joint pain, Illness, and throwing up
– Rash, Swollen lymph nodes
No one knows if this supplement is safe for pregnant or breastfeeding women. If you have certain health problems, you might not be able to take certain types of beta-glucans. Before taking this supplement, talk to your doctor if you:
AIDS or a complex linked to AIDS (ARC), Diabetes, and Too much blood pressure
Beta-glucans might change how some drugs work. See your doctor first if you are taking any other medicines. Unless your doctor tells you to, don’t take beta-glucans if you’re on certain blood pressure medications, immune system suppressants, or non-steroidal medications.
So, the answer is that you should look for Beta-Glucans products that say they are found naturally in the cell walls of cereals, bacteria, and fungus
But Beta-glucans have had mixed results, so it’s best to talk to your doctor and find out how your genes make you react to it first. Before you try Beta-glucans to lose weight, you should look at your genes to see if they will work for you.
HealthCodes DNA test kits can tell you about your genes so you can decide if you should take beta-glucans.
Our DNA test kits use a genetic sequencing method that is more accurate, longer, and more specific than any other on the market right now. Based on the results of the test, they can even figure out your metabolism and give you tips on how to reach your weight loss goals, which will save you time and money.
Click here to get affordable DNA test kits and personalized recommendations from HealthCodes DNA.
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