Losing weight is a common desire that many people have at some point in their lives. This may be due to a desire to fit into certain old clothes or to feel fitter. However, for others it may also be a medical necessity as there are risks associated with being severely overweight or obese.
Whatever the reason, losing weight can be difficult. Health authorities recommend exercising regularly and eating a healthy, balanced diet to achieve this.
A study has now identified a specific breakfast that can help you lose weight. The research, published in the Journal of Nutrition, showed that a certain type of fiber in oats helps prevent overeating and weight gain.
This fiber, called beta-glucan, led to more weight loss than other types of fiber. Although the study was conducted in mice, researchers believe beta-glucan could be a “promising dietary strategy for metabolic diseases” – a group of conditions that occur together and increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, including the accumulation of excess fat around the waist.
In the study, mice were given one of five types of fiber daily for 18 weeks, including:
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Pectin: A soluble fiber found in fruits.
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Beta-glucan: A soluble fiber that is commonly found in nature, including grains such as oats, yeast, mushrooms, and seaweed.
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Wheat dextrin: a soluble fiber sold over the counter as a fiber supplement.
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Resistant starch: A type of starch that functions similarly to fiber by evading digestion and being fermented in the large intestine.
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Cellulose: an insoluble fiber found in plant cells.
The team measured the animals’ body weight, body fat percentage, energy expenditure and glucose tolerance. They also examined their gut microbiome and the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) they produced.
All five types of fiber were found to significantly alter the animals’ gut microbiome and change the amount of short-chain fatty acids they produced. However, when looking more closely at body weight, fat mass and glucose tolerance, only beta-glucan offered benefits.
They concluded: “These findings demonstrate that beta-glucan consumption is a promising nutritional strategy in metabolic diseases, possibly via increased energy expenditure due to alterations in gut microbiota and bacterial metabolites in mice.”
This is not the first scientific paper to mention the benefits of beta-glucan. A study published in 2023 in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition found that it could reduce body weight and waist circumference.
“Most oat and barley products tend to be high in fiber, whole grain, nutrient-dense, and filling, making them a natural choice for diets that promote weight maintenance,” the study authors wrote. “In addition, there is growing consistent evidence that taking beta-glucan from oats or barley prevents weight gain and reduces obesity.”
Three existing observational studies and six randomized controlled intervention trials reached the same conclusion. The study states: “The ability of beta-glucan to influence body weight and adiposity is biologically plausible, as demonstrated by animal and human intervention studies examining changes in satiety, gastric emptying, gut hormones, and gut microbiota and their metabolites (ie, SCFAs).”
“The physiological mechanisms involve a complex interplay of several systems of appetite and energy regulation, the elucidation of which is only just beginning.”
In other studies, beta-glucan has also been linked to lowering cholesterol levels.
How to get more beta-glucan into your diet
Foods rich in beta-glucan include:
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Oats
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barley
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Reishi mushrooms
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Shiitake mushrooms
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Nutritional yeast
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Algae
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Rye bread
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Wholemeal bread
