What is β-glucan?

β-glucan are polysaccharides consisting of glucose residue jointed by beta linkage.  They are found at a high level in the cell wall of fungi, yeast, oat, barley, as well as bacteria. β-glucan is a soluble fiber which when dissolved inside a person's digestive tract, forms a thick gel. Eating oat and barley-based foods that are low in fat is an excellent way to incorporate β-glucan into one’s diet.

Uses of β-glucan 

β-glucan are consumed orally

In assembling, β-glucan are utilized as a food added substance in items, for example, serving of mixed greens dressings, solidified sweets, sharp cream, and cheddar spreads. 

There are a few β-glucan supplement items that guarantee β-glucan taken by mouth must be retained if the item is set up by an exceptional licensed procedure that "micronizes" β-glucan particles to a size of 1 micron or less. Be that as it may, there is no solid proof to help such a case.

β-glucan consumed orally for the following purposes:

• Elevated cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Malignancy
• HIV/AIDS
• Hypertension
• Infection
• To help the immune system for individuals who are constantly exhausted
• Physical and emotional stress
• Medicines, for example, radiation or chemotherapy
• Colds, flu (influenza), pig influenza
• Respiratory tract infections
• Hypersensitivities
• Hepatitis
• Lyme sickness
• Asthma
• Ear diseases
• Aging
• Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's illness
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Pain after the medical procedure
• Fibromyalgia
• Rheumatoid joint pain
• Numerous sclerosis.

• Application of β-glucan on skin

Social insurance suppliers in some cases offer β-glucan by a chance under the skin (subcutaneously) for treating and lessening the size of skin tumors coming about because of disease that has spread.

β-glucan applied on the skin for the following purposes:

• Dermatitis
• Skin inflammation
• Wrinkles
• Bedsores
• Wounds
• Burns
• Diabetic ulcers
• Radiation burns.

• Intravenously providing β-glucan for cancers

Medicinal services suppliers some of the time give β-glucan by IV (intravenously) or by infusion into the muscle to treat malignant growth and to help the immune system in individuals with HIV/AIDS and AIDS-related conditions. β-glucan are likewise given by IV to forestall disease in individuals after a medical procedure.

How can it work?

• β-glucan may bring down blood cholesterol by keeping the absorption of cholesterol from food in the stomach and digestive tracts when it is taken orally.
• At the point when given by infusion, β-glucan may invigorate the immune system by increasing chemicals that prevent infections.

Health benefits of β-glucan 

Natural products containing β-glucans have been used for thousands of years for the benefits of human health, but β-glucans were only identified as active components recently. Since then, they have been studied extensively for immune stimulation effects and developed for the treatment of several diseases including cancer, infectious diseases. Studies also showed that β-glucans have great potential for the treatment of Dyslipidemia, Hypertension, and Cancer.

The health benefits of B-glucan may be related to the fermentability of β-glucans and their ability to form viscous solutions in the human gut. 

1. DYSLIPIDEMIA

Many studies have been performed on the effect of β-glucans on dyslipidemia and studies have stated that, consumption of oats has long been known to lower plasma total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, an effect usually attributed to the soluble fibres β-glucans. On the basis of this cholesterol-lowering effect, oats are said to have cardiovascular health-promoting properties.

Since oxidation of lipoproteins and inflammation are characteristics of atherosclerosis in addition to lipid accumulation in the vessel wall, micronutrients in oats (phytochemicals) with anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties may contribute to an atheroprotective action. 

Also, β-glucan-enriched foods have shown to be more effective in decreasing serum LDL levels, compared with rice bran-enriched foods.

Oat β-glucan reduces LDL-C in both Caucasians & non-Caucasians & Consumption of 3 g/d of oat or barley β-glucan is sufficient to reduce the blood cholesterol.

2. CANCER

β-glucans is a powerful immune-modulator with beneficial properties in cancer therapy. Studies have shown that the anticancer properties of glucan, resveratrol, vitamin C combination compared to the individual components, was the strongest activator of phagocytosis & antibody formation. Using two different models of cancer treatment, results demonstrated that the combination strongly suppressed the growth of breast & lung tumors, most likely due to the stimulation of apoptosis.

3. HYPERTENSION

Soluble fiber may be an effective dietary therapy in the prevention & adjunct treatment of hypertension. The following studies suggest the same i.e. addition of oat cereals to the normal diet of patients with hypertension significantly reduces both Systolic Blood Pressure & Diastolic Blood Pressure. Another study has shown that individuals with BMI >31 kg/m2, showed a decrease in the systolic (8.3 mm Hg) & diastolic (3.9 mm Hg) blood pressures on the consumption of β-glucans.

In conclusion, β-glucans are potentially beneficial in the treatment of the above-mentioned diseases as studies have shown that β-glucans could reduce hyperlipidemia and hypertension and also plays a role in suppressing the growth of tumors the breasts and lungs. Although there isn’t a single magic bullet when it comes to eliminating disease, scores of research show that adding β-glucans to your daily diet—either in the form of supplements or foods that contain the compound—can play a significant role in helping your body fend off diseases.