Barley a nutritional powerhouse for gut health and chronic disease defense

Abstract

BackgroundDigestive issues are recognized as significant contributors to various chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Barley, a traditional grain, offers considerable promise in addressing these health challenges due to unique nutritional and bioactive compounds. ObjectiveThis review examines the therapeutic potential of various parts of barley, underutilized resource, for chronic disease prevention and management. Methodology: A comprehensive literature search was conducted across multiple databases like Google Scholar, PubMed, and ISI Web of Science, to identify nutritional components and functional ingredients in barley that contribute to gut health and chronic disease mitigation. ResultsThe finding suggests that humans digest barley starch more slowly than wheat and rice, which benefits chronic disease management. Barley's high-molecular-weight β-glucan high content acts as a prebiotic, promotes gut health through microbiome modulation and short-chain fatty acid production, potentially preventing colon cancer and boosting immunity. Recent studies on exploring barley grass of high land showed functional ingredients such as flavonoids, saponarin lutonarin, superoxide dismutase, gamma-aminobutyric acid, polyphenols K, Ca, Se, tryptophan chlorophyll, and vitamins, suggesting potential for enhanced antioxidant activity and improved management of chronic conditions like diabetes, cholesterol, hypertension, cardiovascular health, liver protection, and even boosted immunity. ConclusionThis review underscores the therapeutic potential of barley and its components in chronic disease management, highlighting the need for well-designed clinical trials to translate these findings into effective interventions.