The “treasure” for prevention and treatment of diabetes: Beta-glucan

Abstract

Dietary therapy has been an important part of the prevention and treatment of diabetes, especially the health concept of “drug and food are homologous” more and more receives welcome in recent years. Numerous studies have confirmed that β-glucan found widely as a natural polysaccharide in cereals, which exerts remarkable effect on the prevention and treatment of diabetes. It is obvious to see the benefits of lowering blood sugar and losing weight in particular. The anti-diabetic mechanisms include increasing viscosity of dietary fibers, slowing gastric emptying and improving insulin sensitivity, etc. The role of β-glucan in preventing and treating diabetes is affected by cultivar origin and processing methods, etc. Therefore, many aspects need to consummate such as the selection of raw materials and purification technology, etc. The market prospects of related food and new drugs discovery are worthy of attention.

Keywords

• β-glucan
• diabetes
• insulin sensitivity
• dietary therapy
• gastric emptying