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Researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School's Hypertension and Cholesterol Research Clinic carried out the double-blind study in a group of generally healthy hypercholesterolemic men and women to determine the effects of extracted barley beta-glucan on cardiovascular disease biomarkers.
The results, presented at the Experimental Biology earlier this month, showed non only that barley beta-glucan can help lower cholesterol as effectively as oats but also pointed to other benefits, including improved glycemic control amongst individuals with metabolic syndrome, who are at greater risk of developing type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
"We believe this new ingredient will provide yet another way for our customers to deliver great-tasting, heart health benefits to consumers," said Bill Rock, product manager for Cargill Health & Food Technologies, which supplied barley beta-glucan for the study.
Cargill has said that it is accelerating its development of new ingredients and ingredient systems to help food and beverage manufacturers introduce consumer products that meet the dietary and nutritional recommendations included in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which were published in January.
Last year the UK's Joint Health Claims Initiative approved a health claim for oats stating: "The inclusion of oats as part of a diet low in saturated fat and a healthy lifestyle can help reduce blood cholesterol."
Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in Europe, causing 49 percent of deaths - around 4 million each year.