Consumption of Barley, Buckwheat and Quinoa in the United States: Associations with Diet and Metabolic Health

TL;DR

This study finds that people who eat barley and quinoa in the US have better diets and better metabolic health compared to those who don't eat these foods.

Contribution

The novel contribution is identifying specific health benefits associated with low-prevalence consumption of barley and quinoa in the US population.

Findings

Barley and quinoa consumers had higher diet quality, potassium, and fiber intake compared to non-consumers.

Barley consumption was linked to lower BMI, waist circumference, and glycohemoglobin.

Quinoa consumption was associated with lower BMI, waist circumference, triglycerides, and total cholesterol.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Despite the health benefits of fiber intake, most Americans do not meet the dietary recommendations for this nutrient. With barley, buckwheat and quinoa containing several nutrients, including fiber, the integration of these foods into the American diet could improve diet quality and health. The purpose of this study is to examine the consumption patterns of barley, buckwheat and quinoa and its association with diet and metabolic health markers. Methods: We used National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013–2018 data. Adults who had consumed barley, buckwheat and quinoa, as determined by food codes representing these foods, in at least one of the two 24 h recalls were categorized as consumers. Due to the very low prevalence of buckwheat consumption, the associations of consumption with diet and health markers were examined only for barley and quinoa. Results: The prevalence of barley, buckwheat and quinoa consumption among US adults were 0.36%, 0.04% and 1.07%, respectively. Compared with non-consumers, barley and quinoa consumers had significantly greater diet quality and higher intakes of potassium and fiber. While barley consumption was associated with a lower body mass index, waist circumference and glycohemoglobin, quinoa consumption was associated with a lower body mass index, waist circumference, triglycerides and total cholesterol. Conclusions: In this study, we found an overall low prevalence of the consumption of barley, buckwheat and quinoa among US adults. The consumers of barley and quinoa had better dietary intake compared with non-consumers. Although better metabolic health in consumers may be explained by their overall healthier dietary patterns, understanding the barriers and facilitators to the intake of these foods could inform efforts to improve diet quality and health.