Barley cereal and metabolic health in overweight Korean adults
What it found
Overweight Korean adults who ate barley cereal daily for 6 weeks lost a little weight and body fat, and had better blood sugar and insulin measures, than those who ate corn cereal.
The trial was small, with 15 people in the barley group and 12 in the corn group at the end.
What they found
Studies in people
Weight and body fat
After 6 weeks, the barley group lost a small amount of weight (about 0.33 kg) while the corn group gained weight (about 0.85 kg). The barley group also had small reductions in body fat percentage and waist circumference, while the corn group had a small increase in body fat.
Blood sugar control
The barley group had a significant drop in glycated albumin, a marker of average blood sugar over the previous few weeks. The corn group showed no such change. Fasting glucose did not change significantly in either group.
Insulin and insulin resistance
The barley group had significant improvements in fasting insulin and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). The corn group showed no significant changes in these measures.
Cholesterol
The barley group had a significant reduction in LDL cholesterol, while HDL cholesterol stayed about the same. The corn group had a significant drop in HDL cholesterol, with no improvement in LDL cholesterol.
Satiety
The barley group reported greater fullness and satisfaction after meals compared with the corn group. Hunger and desire to eat tended to decrease more in the barley group, though this was not statistically significant.
Gut health
Gut health scores decreased slightly in both groups over the 6 weeks, with no significant difference between them. The authors say both cereals had similar effects on gut function.
What the authors conclude
“Barley-based cereals offer significant metabolic and satiety benefits for overweight adults compared to corn-based alternatives.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that barley-based cereals offer significant metabolic and satiety benefits for overweight adults compared to corn-based alternatives.
- They suggest that barley-based cereals may be an effective dietary intervention for managing obesity and metabolic disorders.
- They support the development of grain-based dietary guidelines that consider both metabolic benefits and practical implementation.
How it was done
The authors note that fiber intake in Korea has fallen while obesity and metabolic disorders have risen. They wanted to test whether a barley-based cereal, high in beta-glucan, could improve metabolic health and satiety compared with a corn-based cereal.
After a first phase in 15 people to pick the best grain, they ran a 6-week randomized trial in 30 overweight Korean adults. Participants were assigned to eat either barley cereal (15 people) or corn cereal (15 people) each morning with milk, providing about 50 g of available carbohydrates. The researchers measured body measurements, blood markers, satiety and gut health.
What it can’t tell you
- The trial was small, with only 15 people in the barley group and 12 in the corn group at the end, so the results may not apply to everyone.
- The study lasted only 6 weeks, so it cannot show what happens with longer-term consumption.
- Participants could not be fully blinded because the cereals looked and tasted different, which might have influenced their expectations.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by National Research Council of Science & Technology (NST) (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- Authors Jang, H., Gim, M., and Bae, S.E. are employed by Lotte R&D Center responsible for providing the food materials for the study. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- Kyung Hee University, Republic of Korea; Lotte R&D Center, Republic of Korea
The paper
- Title
- Barley-Based Cereals Enhance Metabolic Health and Satiety in Overweight Korean Adults: A Randomized Trial
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Kang I, Jang H, Gim M, et al (2025). Barley-Based Cereals Enhance Metabolic Health and Satiety in Overweight Korean Adults: A Randomized Trial. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu17172801Free full textPubMed 40944189DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error