Soluble Dietary Fiber From Hulless Barley Grass Ameliorates High‐Fat Diet‐Induced Obesity by Increasing Hepatic Glycogen Content

Obesity and its related metabolic complications have become a major public health crisis of the 21st century, but may be reduced through increased dietary fiber intake. Hulless barley grass (HBG) contains abundant dietary fiber; however, it is currently unclear whether this dietary fiber is effective in reducing obesity. In the present study, soluble dietary fiber (SDF) in HBG was intervened for 4 weeks in rats fed a high-fat diet (HFD). The results showed that SDF intervention could ameliorate obesity-related symptoms, as evidenced by the fact that different doses of SDF reduced HFD-induced weight gain and hyperlipidemia, lowered serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels, ameliorated insulin resistance, and increased hepatic glycogen content. In summary, this study is important for the utilization of HBG and highlights the potential of SDF in HBG as a functional food for dietary management of obesity.