Oat and Barley β‐Glucans Induce Satiety and Reduce Energy Intake ‐ a Study on Acute and Longer‐term Effects

Objective We investigate the acute and longer‐term effects of three different β‐glucan preparations camouflaged in food matrices on appetite and food intake. Methods Fourteen participants completed this randomized crossover study with four 3‐week periods with daily consumption of 3.3g of fibers (control (no fiber), mutant barley β‐glucan, mother barley β‐glucan and oat β‐glucan of a similar molecular mass). Before and after each period (day 0 and 21) a 4‐hour meal test was completed, during which appetite ratings were measured and ad libitum energy intake at the next meal was recorded. Results No significant difference in ad libitum food intake was seen on day 0 (p=0.14), however AUC for satiety and fullness both tended to differ between meals on day 0 (p=0.10 and p=0.08) with higher values for oat and mutant barley meals compared to control. Interestingly, the participants consumed less energy (~10%) after all fiber‐rich meals compared to control (p<0.05) on day 21, despite no differences in AUC for satiety, fullness or hunger (p>;0.50). Conclusions The difference in effect on appetite and food intake could be speculated to derive from differences in the fiber molecular block‐structure seen for mutant barley, mother barley and oat and then in turn small differences in fermentation patterns.