scholarly journals Oat and Barley in the Food Supply and Use of Beta Glucan Health Claims

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 2556
Author(s):  
Jaimee Hughes ◽  
Sara Grafenauer
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Health Claims ◽  
Blood Cholesterol ◽  
Audit Process ◽  
Beta Glucan ◽  
Cholesterol Lowering ◽  
Soluble Dietary Fibre ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Health And Disease

Beta glucan is a type of soluble dietary fibre found in oats and barley with known cholesterol-lowering benefits. Many countries globally have an approved beta glucan health claim related to lowering blood cholesterol, an important biomarker for cardiovascular disease. However, the use of these claims has not been examined. The aim of this study was to explore the range and variety of oat and barley products in the Australian and global market within a defined range of grain food and beverage categories and examine the frequency of beta glucan health claims. Australian data were collected via a recognised nutrition audit process from the four major Australian supermarkets in metropolitan Sydney (January 2018 and September 2020) and Mintel Global New Product Database was used for global markets where a claim is permitted. Categories included breakfast cereals, bread, savoury biscuits, grain-based muesli bars, flour, noodles/pasta and plant-based milk alternatives and information collected included ingredients lists and nutrition and health claims. Products from Australia (n = 2462) and globally (n = 44,894) were examined. In Australia, 37 products (1.5%) made use of the beta glucan claim (84% related to oat beta glucan and 16% related to barley beta glucan, specifically BARLEYmax®). Of products launched globally, 0.9% (n = 403) displayed beta glucan cholesterol-lowering claims. Despite the number of products potentially eligible to make beta glucan claims, their use in Australia and globally is limited. The value of dietary modification in cardiovascular disease treatment and disease progression deserves greater focus, and health claims are an opportunity to assist in communicating the role of food in the management of health and disease. Further assessment of consumer understanding of the available claims would be of value.

Targeting the Cholesterol Paradigm in the Risk Reduction for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease: Does the Mechanism of Action of Pharmacotherapy Matter for Clinical Outcomes?

2021 ◽  
pp. 107424842110236
Author(s):  
Ruihai Zhou ◽  
George A. Stouffer ◽  
Sidney C. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Clinical Outcomes ◽  
Mechanism Of Action ◽  
Density Lipoprotein ◽  
Lipoprotein Cholesterol ◽  
Blood Cholesterol ◽  
Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Pcsk9 Inhibitors ◽  
Cholesterol Lowering ◽  
Cholesterol Levels

Hypercholesterolemia is a well-established risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) has been labeled as “bad” cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) as “good” cholesterol. The prevailing hypothesis is that lowering blood cholesterol levels, especially LDL-C, reduces vascular deposition and retention of cholesterol or apolipoprotein B (apoB)-containing lipoproteins which are atherogenic. We review herein the clinical trial data on different pharmacological approaches to lowering blood cholesterol and propose that the mechanism of action of cholesterol lowering, as well as the amplitude of cholesterol reduction, are critically important in leading to improved clinical outcomes in ASCVD. The effects of bile acid sequestrants, fibrates, niacin, cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitors, apolipoprotein A-I and HDL mimetics, apoB regulators, acyl coenzyme A: cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) inhibitors, cholesterol absorption inhibitors, statins, and proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors, among other strategies are reviewed. Clinical evidence supports that different classes of cholesterol lowering or lipoprotein regulating approaches yielded variable effects on ASCVD outcomes, especially in cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. Statins are the most widely used cholesterol lowering agents and have the best proven cardiovascular event and survival benefits. Manipulating cholesterol levels by specific targeting of apoproteins or lipoproteins has not yielded clinical benefit. Understanding why lowering LDL-C by different approaches varies in clinical outcomes of ASCVD, especially in survival benefit, may shed further light on our evolving understanding of how cholesterol and its carrier lipoproteins are involved in ASCVD and aid in developing effective pharmacological strategies to improve the clinical outcomes of ASCVD.

scholarly journals Immunomodulating Effects of Fungal Beta-Glucans: From Traditional Use to Medicine

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1333
Author(s):  
Hidde P. van Steenwijk ◽  
Aalt Bast ◽  
Alie de Boer
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Health Claims ◽  
Bioactive Molecules ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Beta Glucan ◽  
Traditional Use ◽  
Beta Glucans ◽  
And Function

The importance of a well-functioning and balanced immune system has become more apparent in recent decades. Various elements have however not yet been uncovered as shown, for example, in the uncertainty on immune system responses to COVID-19. Fungal beta-glucans are bioactive molecules with immunomodulating properties. Insights into the effects and function of beta-glucans, which have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries, advances with the help of modern immunological and biotechnological methods. However, it is still unclear into which area beta-glucans fit best: supplements or medicine? This review has highlighted the potential application of fungal beta-glucans in nutrition and medicine, reviewing their formulation, efficacy, safety profile, and immunomodulating effects. The current status of dietary fungal glucans with respect to the European scientific requirements for health claims related to the immune system and defense against pathogens has been reviewed. Comparing the evidence base of the putative health effects of fungal beta-glucan supplements with the published guidance documents by EFSA on substantiating immune stimulation and pathogen defense by food products shows that fungal beta-glucans could play a role in supporting and maintaining health and, thus, can be seen as a good health-promoting substance from food, which could mean that this effect may also be claimed if approved. In addition to these developments related to food uses of beta-glucan-containing supplements, beta-glucans could also hold a novel position in Western medicine as the concept of trained immunity is relatively new and has not been investigated to a large extent. These innovative concepts, together with the emerging success of modern immunological and biotechnological methods, suggest that fungal glucans may play a promising role in both perspectives, and that there are possibilities for traditional medicine to provide an immunological application in both medicine and nutrition.

Patients Living With HIV Are Less Likely to Receive Appropriate Statin Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction

2021 ◽  
pp. 089719002199979
Author(s):  
Roshni P. Emmons ◽  
Nicholas V. Hastain ◽  
Todd A. Miano ◽  
Jason J. Schafer
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Statin Therapy ◽  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Blood Cholesterol ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Ascvd Risk ◽  
Living With Hiv ◽  
To Receive

Background: Recent studies suggest that statins are underprescribed in patients living with HIV (PLWH) at risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), but none have assessed if eligible patients receive the correct statin and intensity compared to uninfected controls. Objectives: The primary objective was to determine whether statin-eligible PLWH are less likely to receive appropriate statin therapy compared to patients without HIV. Methods: This retrospective study evaluated statin eligibility and prescribing among patients in both an HIV and internal medicine clinic at an urban, academic medical center from June-September 2018 using the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guideline on treating blood cholesterol to reduce ASCVD risk. Patients were assessed for eligibility and actual treatment with appropriate statin therapy. Characteristics of patients appropriately and not appropriately treated were compared with chi-square testing and predictors for receiving appropriate statin therapy were determined with logistic regression. Results: A total of 221/300 study subjects were statin-eligible. Fewer statin-eligible PLWH were receiving the correct statin intensity for their risk benefit group versus the uninfected control group (30.2% vs 67.0%, p < 0.001). In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, PLWH were significantly less likely to receive appropriate statin therapy, while those with polypharmacy were more likely to receive appropriate statin therapy. Conclusion: Our study reveals that PLWH may be at a disadvantage in receiving appropriate statin therapy for ASCVD risk reduction. This is important given the heightened risk for ASCVD in this population, and strategies that address this gap in care should be explored.

scholarly journals Dietary Fiber, Atherosclerosis, and Cardiovascular Disease

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghada A. Soliman
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Dietary Fiber ◽  
Water Solubility ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Digestive Enzyme ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Blood Cholesterol ◽  
Fiber Intake ◽  
Intestinal Transit Time

Observational studies have shown that dietary fiber intake is associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. Dietary fiber is a non-digestible form of carbohydrates, due to the lack of the digestive enzyme in humans required to digest fiber. Dietary fibers and lignin are intrinsic to plants and are classified according to their water solubility properties as either soluble or insoluble fibers. Water-soluble fibers include pectin, gums, mucilage, fructans, and some resistant starches. They are present in some fruits, vegetables, oats, and barley. Soluble fibers have been shown to lower blood cholesterol by several mechanisms. On the other hand, water-insoluble fibers mainly include lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose; whole-grain foods, bran, nuts, and seeds are rich in these fibers. Water-insoluble fibers have rapid gastric emptying, and as such may decrease the intestinal transit time and increase fecal bulk, thus promoting digestive regularity. In addition to dietary fiber, isolated and extracted fibers are known as functional fiber and have been shown to induce beneficial health effects when added to food during processing. The recommended daily allowances (RDAs) for total fiber intake for men and women aged 19–50 are 38 gram/day and 25 gram/day, respectively. It is worth noting that the RDA recommendations are for healthy people and do not apply to individuals with some chronic diseases. Studies have shown that most Americans do not consume the recommended intake of fiber. This review will summarize the current knowledge regarding dietary fiber, sources of food containing fiber, atherosclerosis, and heart disease risk reduction.

CYP3A4 *1B Gene Polymorphism in Coronary Artery Disease Patients with Obesity Undergoing Statin Treatment

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elifcan Gezer ◽  
Mehtap Cevik ◽  
Cansu Selcan Akdeniz ◽  
Ismail Polat Canbolat ◽  
Selen Yurdakul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Coronary Artery Disease ◽  
Coronary Artery ◽  
Statin Therapy ◽  
Plasma Lipid ◽  
Blood Cholesterol ◽  
Study Group ◽  
Genotype Distribution ◽  
Obese Patients ◽  
Artery Disease

Objective: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the one of the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and statins are frequently prescribed in the treatment of CAD to help lower blood cholesterol levels. Since the main enzyme involved in the metabolism of statins is CYP3A4, we aimed to investigate the effect of CYP3A4 * 1B genotypes on plasma lipid profile in Turkish cardiovascular disease subject with and without obesity taking statin. Materials and Methods: The study group consisted of 85 cardiovascular disease patients who were prescribed statins and had routine biochemical analysis data. Polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay were performed for genotyping of CYP3A4 *1B (rs2740574) polymorphism. Results: Genotype distribution of CYP3A4 *1B polymorphism was found for homozygous wild (AA) and homozygous polymorphic (GG) genotypes as 94.1% and 5.9% respectively. We did not detect patients with heterozygous genotype in our study group. We found that the mean LDL-c, TG and TC levels were higher in patients with CYP3A4 *1B GG compared to AA genotype. The frequency of CYP3A4 *1B GG genotype frequency (9.5%) was detected higher in the obese patients compared to the non-obese patients (7.7%) (χ2=0.037, p=0.85). Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that CYP3A4 *1B homozygous polymorphic genotype distribution tend to be higher in obese patients compared to non- obese patients with cardiovascular disease which may point *1B allele to have a slight effect on serum lipids during statin therapy. Additional studies with higher samples are needed for evaluating the role of CYP3A4 *1B on lipids in patients under statin therapy.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document