Effects of Chronic Barley Consumption on Upper Respiratory Tract Symptoms in Japanese Healthy Adults: A Randomized, Parallel-Group, Controlled Trial

TL;DR

Eating cooked waxy barley daily for 8 weeks reduced nasal symptoms and improved mood in healthy Japanese adults compared to white rice.

Contribution

This is the first randomized trial showing that barley containing β-glucan alleviates upper respiratory symptoms and improves mood.

Findings

Barley reduced sneezing and fatigue compared to white rice.

Nasal symptoms like runny nose and plugged nose were less severe in the barley group.

Barley improved mood by reducing tension and anguish scores.

Abstract

β-(1,3/1,4)-glucan is a major component of cereal grains, such as oats and barley. In this study, we investigated the effects of cooked waxy barley, which contains β-(1,3/1,4)-glucan, on upper respiratory tract physical symptoms and mood status by performing a randomized, parallel-group, comparative trial. The primary outcome was assessed using the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey-21 and Profile of Mood States second edition. Twenty-seven healthy Japanese adult participants were supplemented with 100 g of cooked waxy barley (containing 1.8 g of β-glucan) or 100 g of cooked white rice daily for 8 weeks. Participants receiving cooked waxy barley reported a reduction in cumulative days of sneezing (p < 0.05) and feeling tired (p < 0.0001) compared with the control group. After the intervention period, there were significantly less severe nasal symptoms, such as runny nose, plugged nose, and sneezing (p < 0.05), and a significantly greater reduction of the Tension-Anguish score (p < 0.05) in the barley group than in the control group. This study suggests that supplementation of cooked waxy barley containing β-(1,3/1,4)-glucan prevents or alleviates nasal upper respiratory tract symptoms and improves mood status. The findings of this study should be confirmed by double-blind trials with a larger number of participants.

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