Effects of different delivering matrices of β-glucan on lipids in mildly hypercholesterolaemic individuals: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

beta-Glucan has been reported for its health benefits on blood lipids in hypercholesterolaemic individuals for years. However, people have paid little attention to the effects of beta-glucan in populations with mild hypercholesterolaemia as well as the various delivering matrices. Our objective was to perform a meta-analysis to analyse the effects of beta-glucan with different delivering matrices in mildly hypercholesterolaemic individuals. After conducting a comprehensive search in Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane Library, a total of twenty-one randomised controlled trials involving 1120 participants were identified to measure the pooled effect. The overall results indicated that consuming a dose of >= 3 g/d of beta-glucan for at least 3 weeks could significantly reduce total cholesterol (TC) (-0 center dot 27 mmol/l, 95 % CI -0.33, -0.21, P < 0.001) and LDL-cholesterol (-0.26 mmol/l, 95% CI -0.32, -0.20, P < 0.001) compared with the control group in mildly hypercholesterolaemic individuals, while no significant difference was observed in TAG (-0.03 mmol/l, 95% CI -0.11, 0.06, P = 0.521) and HDL-cholesterol (0.01 mmol/l, 95% CI -0.03, 0.04, P = 0.777). There was evidence for modest unexplained heterogeneity in the meta-analysis. In conclusion, beta-glucan can significantly reduce risk factors like TC and LDL-cholesterol for CVD in mildly hypercholesterolaemic individuals; furthermore, it appears that the effects of food matrices with both 'solid products' and 'liquid products' where beta-glucan was incorporated into were ranked as the best way to exert its beneficial properties, while 'liquid' and 'solid' products were ranked as the second and third positions, respectively.

Automated summary

A meta-analysis found that consuming >= 3 g/d of beta-glucan for at least 3 weeks can significantly reduce total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels in mildly hypercholesterolaemic individuals, with no significant effects observed on TAG and HDL-cholesterol. Incorporating beta-glucan into both 'solid products' and 'liquid products' was found to be the most effective way to exert its beneficial properties.