Barley is a grain with medicinal and nutritional benefits. The nutritional value of Barley It has attracted public attention in recent years. Numerous studies have shown that hardly can improve the intestinal environment, relieve holdingand reduce visceral body fat.
in 2007, Research from Japan showed that barley can reduce visceral body and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Forty-four hypercholesterolemic Japanese men with a body mass index above 22 kg/m2 (weight in kg and height in m2) were randomly divided into two groups.
The test group consumed rice mixed with barley, and the placebo group consumed rice without the barley for 12 weeks. The results showed that compared to the placebo group, visceral body fat and LDL cholesterol were reduced in the test group.
Another type of barley, called sticky barley, is also good for health, as revealed by research conducted by the Western Japan Research Center. the Research It was published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology in 2017.
According to the research team’s guidelines, nursing home caregivers provided elderly residents with rice mixed with glutinous barley as a staple food for five months.
The research found that among the 28 older adults who ate this diet, average age 89, 14 who suffered from constipation increased the number of their bowel movements significantly, with an average monthly increase from 9.2 times to 12.1 times, indicating that Adequate dietary fiber intake, such as that provided by barley, can promote peristalsis in the elderly. The use of laxatives has also been significantly reduced.
As a bonus, older study participants enjoyed eating sticky barley more than other high-fiber foods, such as non-sticky barley and mushrooms.
Barley is rich in carbohydrates, protein, soluble dietary fiber β-glucan, insoluble dietary fiber, vitamin B and more. Dietary fiber is good for the body and helps relieve constipation and reduce weight. The β-glucan in barley can prevent high blood glucose levels after eating, reduce cholesterol levels, and nourish intestinal bacteria, thus regulating the intestinal environment and improving peristalsis.
Health and longevity
Improving the intestinal environment isn’t just about treating constipation – maintaining a good gut microbiota also plays an important role in overall health.
Japan ranks among the countries with the highest life expectancy in the world. More specifically, the number of centenarians in Kyotango is three times more than in Kyoto Prefecture. According to Kyotango government statistics, there are 124 national centiles as of September 1, 2022, and 237 centiles in every 100,000—3.3 times higher than the national level in the rest of Japan.
Professor Yuji Naito, Research Department of Kyoto Prefecture University of Medicine, has studied the “secrets” of centenarians in Kyoto. he Discover Significantly more Clostridium butyrate in the intestines of elderly people in the neighboring city of Kyoto.
Yogi believes that the local elders have a large amount of C. febriformis in their gut microbiota associated with the high fiber in their diet. Metabolism of C. vibriasis can increase the number of immune cells, reduce inflammation, and act as a protectant for the brain and central nervous system. “Maybe this is one of the crucial reasons for their longevity.”
According to Yuji, research on genetic analysis of the intestinal bacteria of ancient people has shown that they are much richer and more diverse than those of modern humans. The nutrients and substances needed for optimal health cannot be produced without a large variety of genetically diverse intestinal bacteria. However, the modern diet, which contains many unhealthy foods, including animal fats, sugar, and processed foods, leads to a decrease in the number of Clostridium vibrio in the intestinal environment.
According to the Japanese government’s guidelines in 2020, the intake of dietary fiber is at least 21 grams per day for males ages 18 to 64 and at least 18 grams for females.
Dietary fiber is relatively abundant in vegetables but less in foods such as fish and meat. An effective way to take in dietary fiber is to eat barley, brown rice, germ rice, or whole wheat bread as staple foods and include beans, fruits, mushrooms, seaweed, dried carrots, pumpkin, burdock root, bamboo shoots, broccoli, mushrooms, natto (a traditional Japanese food made from whole soybeans), and green beans. Red beans and shiitake mushrooms.
Elaine Wan has worked for the Japanese edition of The Epoch Times since 2007.