Why You Need Beta Glucan

What’s beta glucan? That’s the soluble fiber found in oats and barley, and the reason why the packaging on your oat- and barley-containing cereals says it’s good for your heart.

Beta-glucan helps lower “bad” LDL cholesterol in two ways. “It forms a gel in the digestive tract that traps dietary cholesterol, making it less available for absorption, so some gets ushered out of the body as waste,” says Julie Jones, Ph.D., professor of nutrition and a fiber researcher at the College of St. Catherine in Minnesota. Also, as fiber moves farther along in the digestive process, “good” bacteria in the colon digest it, producing short-chain fatty acids that get reabsorbed into the bloodstream. These are then picked up by the liver where they “inhibit enzymes that synthesize blood cholesterol—much in the same way statin drugs do,” says Jones.

How much beta glucan do you need? 1 cup of oatmeal and a side serving (3⁄4 cup cooked) of barley together supply 3 grams of beta-glucan, the daily intake that research has linked with cardiovascular benefits.

Personally, I find pure, unflavored oatmeal quite boring. I like the flavored ones or those pepped up with fruit bits and raisins. How about you? What’s your favorite sort?