• S S AbuMweis, S Jew, and N P Ames.
• Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan.
• Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010 Dec 1; 64 (12): 1472-80.

Background/ObjectivesTo more precisely quantify the effect of barley β-glucan on blood lipid concentrations in humans and to examine the factors that could affect its efficacy.Subjects/MethodsEleven eligible randomized clinical trials published from 1989 to 2008 were identified from nine databases. Weighted mean effect sizes were calculated for net differences in lipid profile using a random effect model (RevMan 4.2).ResultsOverall, barley and β-glucan isolated from barley lowered total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentrations by 0.30 mmol/l (95% confidence interval (CI): -0.39 to -0.21, P<0.00001) and 0.27 mmol/l (95% CI: -0.34 to -0.20, P<0.00001), respectively, compared with control. The pattern of cholesterol-lowering action of barley in this analysis could not be viewed as a dose-dependent response. There were no significant subgroup differences by type of intervention and food matrix.ConclusionsIncreased consumption of barely products should be considered as a dietary approach to reduce LDL cholesterol concentrations.

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