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Author: Sabrina Carnevale Published: 3:00 AM CST, Sunday, December 12, 2021

Michaela McKenzie/Winnipeg Free Press

Dylan MacKay (left) and Dr. Sijo Joseph are trying to determine whether breakfast biscuits made from oats containing β-glucan have any effect on blood pressure

There is a lot of buzz about fiber optics-for good reason. Although all fiber is a type of carbohydrate, there are several types. One example is β-glucan, a soluble fiber related to intestinal, heart, and immune health.

There is a lot of buzz about fiber optics-for good reason. Although all fiber is a type of carbohydrate, there are several types. One example is β-glucan, a soluble fiber related to intestinal, heart, and immune health.

To learn more about the health benefits of β-glucan, researchers from the University of Manitoba and the Canadian Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food (AAFC) are conducting a nutritional study to study the consumption of β-glucan derived from oats How and whether it will affect blood pressure.

Fiber is a super nutrient. It slows the absorption of glucose-thereby balancing our blood sugar levels-and reduces cholesterol and inflammation. A diet rich in fiber is associated with better gastrointestinal health and lower risk of heart disease, stroke, high cholesterol, obesity and type 2 diabetes

"The goal of this project is to find out whether the beta-glucan in oats has any effect on the control of healthy blood pressure," said Dr. Sijo Joseph (Thandapilly), a research scientist at AAFC and co-investigator of the study.

Beta-glucan is found in oats, brown rice, barley, baker's yeast, and medicinal mushrooms (such as maitake mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms). Beta-glucan acts as a soluble fiber prebiotic in the gastrointestinal tract (just like food for probiotics), helping the probiotics (also known as beneficial bacteria) in the intestines to perform their best function. Probiotics are live active cultures (usually in the form of bacteria and yeast) that help maintain intestinal health. The main function of probiotics is to maintain a healthy balance of the body. Think of it as keeping your body neutral. They help digest food, produce vitamins, and fight the "bad" bacteria associated with disease.

"(Β-glucan) is a very important molecule," Joseph said. “Our ancestors’ diet was high in fiber, but because of our refined and processed foods, we got very little. Oats and barley are some of the ways we can enrich our diet with fiber.”

For many years, β-glucan has been used in alternative medicine, from preventing colds and flu to fibromyalgia. Recently, people have conducted extensive research on its beneficial effects on heart and intestinal health, and it has been proven that it can improve immunity and stabilize blood sugar levels. Studies have even found that the intake of β-glucan can reduce total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol is often referred to as "bad" cholesterol because it accumulates in the walls of blood vessels and increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.

However, there are few studies on β-glucan intake and blood pressure. This is where this pilot study comes into play.

"The beta-glucan in barley and oats has a Health Canada health claim that it can lower blood cholesterol-but it has no effect on blood pressure. Since we have conducted similar studies on cholesterol and blood sugar response, we Believe it can work," Joseph said. "Previously, we did research on hypertension in rats and we found that β-glucan has a very high potential for lowering blood pressure. Therefore, we wanted to test it in humans. ."

Joseph said that the goal of their nutrition research is to reach 4 grams of beta-glucan per day. To this end, a research team including Dr. Thomas Netticadan, Dr. Lovemore Malunga, and Dr. Nancy Ames proposed a specific dietary formula, namely breakfast biscuit form, which contains a certain amount of carbohydrates, protein and fat and is nutritious enough. Two types of breakfast biscuits will be developed-one with beta-glucan and one without.

In this study, the research team will send a package of breakfast biscuits to the subjects, and then the subjects will use a dynamic monitor (portable blood pressure recording device) to measure their blood pressure.

The uniqueness of this study is that it is designed to be zero-touch-cookies and dynamic monitors will be delivered to participants' homes, and all follow-up actions will be done via secure virtual chat or online.

"My colleague Dr. Rebecca Mollard and I want to know how we can conduct these trials and minimize the risk of (COVID-19)," said Dylan MacKay, the principal research researcher and assistant professor of the University's Food and Human Nutritional Sciences and Internal Medicine. Province of Nitoba.

Michaela McKenzie/Winnipeg Free Press

"The goal of this project is to find out whether the beta-glucan in oats has any effect on the control of healthy blood pressure," said Dr. Sijo Joseph (Thandapilly), a research scientist at AAFC and co-investigator of the study.

MacKay said they have a system and agreed that the program is now completed online.

"Participants will be able to discuss (research) with us through a secure online connection," he said. "Our visit was virtual, but we did not eliminate the opportunity for people to ask questions and understand what they agreed with."

The study will include two 4-week periods: a treatment period (biscuits containing β-glucan) and a control period (biscuits without β-glucan), with a 4-week period in between , Which does not provide any cookies. The total trial time from start to finish will be about three months.

During the treatment period, participants will eat two breakfast biscuits made of oatmeal, each containing 4 grams of β-glucan (each biscuit contains 2 grams), while the control group will provide breakfast biscuits mainly made of wheat , Does not contain β-glucan. The study will be located at the Chronic Disease Innovation Center of Seven Oaks General Hospital in Winnipeg.

"Each cookie is expected to last for 4 weeks-so they get a total of 8 weeks of cookies. In the middle of the 4-week trial, they have a 4-week purge period without intervention," McKay said. "We don't know what kind of biscuits they will get, so we can look at the results of one biscuits versus another. We are experimenting to see if there is a difference based on blood pressure."

Participants will be required to wear ambulatory blood pressure monitors 24 hours a day for three consecutive days at the beginning and end of each treatment period-these monitors automatically measure blood pressure every 15 to 30 minutes during the day and every 30 to 60 minutes during the day Automatically measure blood pressure once. night.

"The gold standard for measuring blood pressure in trials now is ambulatory blood pressure measurement equipment," McKay said. "(What these monitors do) overcome the idea of'white coat syndrome'. If you are afraid to measure your blood pressure, your blood pressure usually rises. Some people just go to the doctor and have their blood pressure rise.”

The team will put digital scales in people's homes so that they can report their weight. Participants will be asked to fill in eating memories, which is an online questionnaire that can record information about the foods they have eaten.

"Except for giving them breakfast biscuits, we will not control (what people eat), so we hope they continue to eat normally," McKay said. "In most cases, people's minds are creatures of habit. We hope the only difference we will see in blood pressure may be due to beta-glucan."

High systolic blood pressure (SBP) and/or high diastolic blood pressure (DBP) can damage blood vessels and cause cardiovascular disease and even heart attack or stroke, which is one of the leading causes of hospitalization and death in Canada. Statistics Canada.

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"Blood pressure is a silent killer. With diabetes, you will be thirsty and tired. With cholesterol, you will feel tired. Our goal is to come up with a diet that controls blood pressure," Joseph said. "(Using beta-glucan) you can gain health benefits and reduce the burden of healthcare. If you can reduce risk factors, it means fewer people with cardiovascular disease-all this helps the public health system ."

The 2016-19 Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) results showed that among Canadian adults between the ages of 20 and 79, 23% reported that they were diagnosed with high blood pressure by healthcare professionals and were taking antihypertensive Drugs or measured blood pressure are equivalent to Grade 2 hypertension.

The results of nutrition research will be shared at national and international scientific conferences. Joseph pointed out that more robust research and a larger population may be needed to help achieve the health claim.

The study will be conducted in 2022, and the research team hopes to recruit approximately 24 participants who are between 40 and 75 years old, whose blood pressure is higher than normal, and are not currently taking any blood pressure management drugs. If you are interested in participating in this nutritional study, please send an email to betaglucancookie@umanitoba.ca.

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Sabrina Carnevale is a freelance writer and communications expert, and a former journalist and broadcaster for health enthusiasts. She writes a column about health and fitness twice a month.

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