The Study
Whole-grain cereal products based on a high-fibre barley or oat genotype lower post-prandial glucose and insulin responses in healthy humans
This study looked at what happened to 13 people's blood sugar after they ate special barley and oat breads. It found their blood sugar didn't spike as high as when they drank sugar water. But it didn't test if the breads caused the lower spike — maybe they just happened to eat them on days when they were more active or slept better.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Scientists tested two special cereals made from fermented barley and oat — both packed with fiber and special starch — to see how they affect blood sugar and insulin after eating.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 544 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — eating these cereals instead of refined carbs means your body doesn’t need to pump out as much insulin, which helps avoid energy crashes and long-term metabolic problems.
- 2Barley cereal lowered blood sugar a lot (GI=30, vs.
- 3100 for sugar).
- 4Oat cereal lowered insulin even more (II=21, vs.
- 555 for barley).
- 6Both were much better than plain sugar.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
European Journal of Nutrition
Year
2008
Authors
M. Alminger, Charlotte Eklund-Jonsson
Related Content
Claims (6)
Refined sugars cause a 2 to 2.5 times higher insulin release after eating compared to minimally processed carbohydrates.
Eating fermented oat cereal results in a lower insulin response after meals compared to fermented barley cereal, even though both cereals lower blood glucose to a similar degree.
Eating fermented whole-grain barley cereal with 40% amylose and 4.6% beta-glucan results in a lower rise in blood glucose after eating compared to consuming pure glucose.
Eating fermented whole-grain oat cereal with 4.6% beta-glucan results in lower insulin levels after eating compared to consuming pure glucose, as measured by an insulin index of 21.
Fermented whole-grain barley and oat kernels lower blood glucose and insulin levels after eating compared to unfermented glucose.
Fermented cereals made from high-amylose barley lower blood glucose levels more than oat cereals, while fermented high-beta-glucan oat cereals lower insulin levels more than barley cereals. These differences are linked to the genetic makeup and processing of the grains.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.