Molecular weight of a glucan polymer

availability_state

biomarker_context Imported condition classification; unverified.

evidence_span

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experimental_model

Double-blind parallel-design multicentre trial randomising 367 people across four molecular weights and two doses

exposure

Extruded cereal delivering 3 or 4 grams per day of oat beta-glucan at molecular weights of 2,210,000, 850,000, 530,000 or 210,000 grams per mole for four weeks

limitations

The comparator is a wheat-fibre cereal and 345 of 367 completed. A nonsignificant estimate in one arm is not a demonstration of no effect.

nutrient_topic

Beta-glucan research collection; topical membership is not evidence of a direct clinical effect, and each preparation is recorded as its own entity with no family link joining any pair. · Beta-glucan

organism

Human

plain_language

Cutting the polymer into shorter pieces halved what it did, even at a higher dose.

primary_references

[bg-p20660224] Physicochemical properties of oat β-glucan influence its ability to reduce serum LDL cholesterol in humans: a randomized clinical trial. (2010). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20660224/ DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.2010.29174

tissue_or_cell_type

Serum LDL cholesterol

trigger_kind

biomarker_context Imported condition classification; unverified.

Beta-glucan: a structural family rather than an agent, what decides whether a bound glucan actually signals, the complement route that a cereal and a yeast preparation share, and the unequal human evidence behind each (2026-09-22) · lines 515–526

AI-assisted literature curation; primary study URLs and scope retained in the document and extraction. Not publisher full text. · supports · Double-blind parallel-design multicentre trial randomising 367 people across four molecular weights and two doses · source_derived_draft · unverified_draft

### bg-depolymerising-halves-the-effect LDL cholesterol was significantly less with 3 g high molecular weight, 4 g medium molecular weight and 3 g medium molecular weight oat beta-glucan cereals than with the wheat-fiber cereal by 0.21 or 5.5%, 0.26 or 6.5% and 0.19 or 4.7% mmol/L respectively, however the effect of 4 g low molecular weight oat beta-glucan per day at 0.10 mmol/L was not significant, log of molecular weight times the amount solubilized was a significant determinant of LDL cholesterol, and efficacy was reduced by 50% when molecular weight was reduced to 210,000 g/mol. Condition category: biomarker_context nutrient_topic: Beta-glucan research collection; topical membership is not evidence of a direct clinical effect, and each preparation is recorded as its own entity with no family link joining any pair. plain_language: Cutting the polymer into shorter pieces halved what it did, even at a higher dose. organism: Human tissue_or_cell_type: Serum LDL cholesterol experimental_model: Double-blind parallel-design multicentre trial randomising 367 people across four molecular weights and two doses limitations: The comparator is a wheat-fibre cereal and 345 of 367 completed. A nonsignificant estimate in one arm is not a demonstration of no effect. exposure: Extruded cereal delivering 3 or 4 grams per day of oat beta-glucan at molecular weights of 2,210,000, 850,000, 530,000 or 210,000 grams per mole for four weeks evidence_span: {"source_cache": "artifacts/glucan-research/20660224.abstract.txt", "locator": "Indexed abstract; zero-based, end-exclusive Unicode character offsets", "file_sha256": "dbd9787f6688f544bb47e44be561d20ec653daf5627f9022ac1302249924daf0", "start_char": 0, "end_char": 2139, "text_sha256": "dbd9787f6688f544bb47e44be561d20ec653daf5627f9022ac1302249924daf0"} [bg-p20660224] Physicochemical properties of oat β-glucan influence its ability to reduce serum LDL cholesterol in humans: a randomized clinical trial. (2010). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20660224/ DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.2010.29174

availability_state

biomarker_context Imported condition classification; unverified.

evidence_span

{"source_cache": "artifacts/glucan-research/8942412.abstract.txt", "locator": "Indexed abstract; zero-based, end-exclusive Unicode character offsets", "file_sha256": "9d60ab74209102dfe9e61c4f1a0f45fdc2119c986e385b8174a101f9f98ae3e1", "start_char": 0, "end_char": 1172, "text_sha256": "9d60ab74209102dfe9e61c4f1a0f45fdc2119c986e385b8174a101f9f98ae3e1"}

experimental_model

Ileostomy model comparing breads made from oat bran, a barley fraction and wheat flour

exposure

Diets based on oat bread, barley bread, wheat bread or oat bread with enzymatically degraded beta-glucan, providing 12.5, 12.9, 1.1 and 4.0 grams per day

limitations

Nine ileostomy subjects. The loss is inferred by comparing intake with excretion rather than measured directly as degradation.

nutrient_topic

Beta-glucan research collection; topical membership is not evidence of a direct clinical effect, and each preparation is recorded as its own entity with no family link joining any pair. · Beta-glucan

organism

Human

plain_language

A good deal of the polymer is already broken up by the time the bread is baked, let alone eaten.

primary_references

[bg-p8942412] Mixed-linked beta-glucan from breads of different cereals is partly degraded in the human ileostomy model. (1996). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8942412/ DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/64.6.878

tissue_or_cell_type

Terminal ileum

trigger_kind

biomarker_context Imported condition classification; unverified.

Beta-glucan: a structural family rather than an agent, what decides whether a bound glucan actually signals, the complement route that a cereal and a yeast preparation share, and the unequal human evidence behind each (2026-09-22) · lines 554–565

AI-assisted literature curation; primary study URLs and scope retained in the document and extraction. Not publisher full text. · supports · Ileostomy model comparing breads made from oat bran, a barley fraction and wheat flour · source_derived_draft · unverified_draft

### bg-bread-making-already-cuts-it A notable loss of beta-glucan of 0.7 to 2.4 g/d or 13 to 64% was found when intake was compared with excretion, in vitro a higher viscosity development with time for dispersions of oat bread compared with barley bread was noted which could be related to the higher molecular weight of the beta-glucan in this bread, and there seemed to be a depolymerization of the beta-glucan both during bread making and transit through the upper gastrointestinal tract. Condition category: biomarker_context nutrient_topic: Beta-glucan research collection; topical membership is not evidence of a direct clinical effect, and each preparation is recorded as its own entity with no family link joining any pair. plain_language: A good deal of the polymer is already broken up by the time the bread is baked, let alone eaten. organism: Human tissue_or_cell_type: Terminal ileum experimental_model: Ileostomy model comparing breads made from oat bran, a barley fraction and wheat flour limitations: Nine ileostomy subjects. The loss is inferred by comparing intake with excretion rather than measured directly as degradation. exposure: Diets based on oat bread, barley bread, wheat bread or oat bread with enzymatically degraded beta-glucan, providing 12.5, 12.9, 1.1 and 4.0 grams per day evidence_span: {"source_cache": "artifacts/glucan-research/8942412.abstract.txt", "locator": "Indexed abstract; zero-based, end-exclusive Unicode character offsets", "file_sha256": "9d60ab74209102dfe9e61c4f1a0f45fdc2119c986e385b8174a101f9f98ae3e1", "start_char": 0, "end_char": 1172, "text_sha256": "9d60ab74209102dfe9e61c4f1a0f45fdc2119c986e385b8174a101f9f98ae3e1"} [bg-p8942412] Mixed-linked beta-glucan from breads of different cereals is partly degraded in the human ileostomy model. (1996). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8942412/ DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/64.6.878

evidence_span

{"source_cache": "artifacts/glucan-research/33608654.abstract.txt", "locator": "Indexed abstract; zero-based, end-exclusive Unicode character offsets", "file_sha256": "676672cfbc790125f3f39b9afbaa9211422f6ba82c3dc394c816268de96002c7", "start_char": 0, "end_char": 1872, "text_sha256": "676672cfbc790125f3f39b9afbaa9211422f6ba82c3dc394c816268de96002c7"}

experimental_model

Systematic review and meta-analysis of 103 acute crossover trial comparisons in 538 participants

exposure

Oat beta-glucan concentrate or oat bran added to carbohydrate-containing test meals against carbohydrate-matched controls

limitations

Acute meal responses with high certainty of evidence by GRADE. The magnitude depends on dose, molecular weight and which control meal is used, so a pooled percentage is not a prediction for any particular food.

nutrient_topic

Beta-glucan research collection; topical membership is not evidence of a direct clinical effect, and each preparation is recorded as its own entity with no family link joining any pair. · Beta-glucan

organism

Human

plain_language

Adding it to a meal takes about a quarter off the glucose rise, but only if the polymer is long enough.

primary_references

[bg-p33608654] The effect of oat β-glucan on postprandial blood glucose and insulin responses: a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2021). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33608654/ DOI: 10.1038/s41430-021-00875-9

tissue_or_cell_type

Postprandial glucose and insulin

Beta-glucan: a structural family rather than an agent, what decides whether a bound glucan actually signals, the complement route that a cereal and a yeast preparation share, and the unequal human evidence behind each (2026-09-22) · lines 567–578

AI-assisted literature curation; primary study URLs and scope retained in the document and extraction. Not publisher full text. · supports · Systematic review and meta-analysis of 103 acute crossover trial comparisons in 538 participants · source_derived_draft · unverified_draft

### bg-acute-glycaemic-response-falls Oat beta-glucan reduced glucose incremental area under the curve and incremental peak rise by 23% and 28% and insulin by 22% and 24% respectively, dose, molecular weight and comparator were significant effect modifiers of glucose incremental area under the curve and peak, significant linear dose-response relationships were observed for all outcomes, oat beta-glucan molecular weight above 300 kg/mol significantly reduced glucose measures whereas molecular weight below 300 kg/mol did not, outcomes were similar in participants with and without diabetes, and all outcomes had high certainty of evidence. Condition category: normal nutrient_topic: Beta-glucan research collection; topical membership is not evidence of a direct clinical effect, and each preparation is recorded as its own entity with no family link joining any pair. plain_language: Adding it to a meal takes about a quarter off the glucose rise, but only if the polymer is long enough. organism: Human tissue_or_cell_type: Postprandial glucose and insulin experimental_model: Systematic review and meta-analysis of 103 acute crossover trial comparisons in 538 participants limitations: Acute meal responses with high certainty of evidence by GRADE. The magnitude depends on dose, molecular weight and which control meal is used, so a pooled percentage is not a prediction for any particular food. exposure: Oat beta-glucan concentrate or oat bran added to carbohydrate-containing test meals against carbohydrate-matched controls evidence_span: {"source_cache": "artifacts/glucan-research/33608654.abstract.txt", "locator": "Indexed abstract; zero-based, end-exclusive Unicode character offsets", "file_sha256": "676672cfbc790125f3f39b9afbaa9211422f6ba82c3dc394c816268de96002c7", "start_char": 0, "end_char": 1872, "text_sha256": "676672cfbc790125f3f39b9afbaa9211422f6ba82c3dc394c816268de96002c7"} [bg-p33608654] The effect of oat β-glucan on postprandial blood glucose and insulin responses: a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2021). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33608654/ DOI: 10.1038/s41430-021-00875-9

availability_state

biomarker_context Imported condition classification; unverified.

evidence_span

{"source_cache": "artifacts/glucan-research/29246954.abstract.txt", "locator": "Indexed abstract; zero-based, end-exclusive Unicode character offsets", "file_sha256": "5afc1ddc8e49971759dcdc432cedb4c22cad267cace1e3909dd577c8ebb9eaa6", "start_char": 0, "end_char": 1760, "text_sha256": "5afc1ddc8e49971759dcdc432cedb4c22cad267cace1e3909dd577c8ebb9eaa6"}

experimental_model

Physical, structural, purity, binding and functional comparison of five commercial laminarin preparations from three suppliers

exposure

Five laminarin preparations of molecular mass 4400 to 34,400 daltons, before and after extensive dialysis

limitations

Five preparations of one named natural product. Removing low molecular weight contaminants explained the behaviour of one preparation and not the others, so purity is one cause of the variation rather than the whole of it.

nutrient_topic

Beta-glucan research collection; topical membership is not evidence of a direct clinical effect, and each preparation is recorded as its own entity with no family link joining any pair. · Beta-glucan

organism

Human and mouse cells

plain_language

Five bottles with the same name on the label: two blocked the receptor, two switched it on, and cleaning up a fifth flipped it.

primary_references

[bg-p29246954] Immunoregulatory Activity of the Natural Product Laminarin Varies Widely as a Result of Its Physical Properties. (2018). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29246954/ DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1701258

tissue_or_cell_type

Recombinant receptor and primary cells

trigger_kind

biomarker_context Imported condition classification; unverified.

Beta-glucan: a structural family rather than an agent, what decides whether a bound glucan actually signals, the complement route that a cereal and a yeast preparation share, and the unequal human evidence behind each (2026-09-22) · lines 164–175

AI-assisted literature curation; primary study URLs and scope retained in the document and extraction. Not publisher full text. · supports · Physical, structural, purity, binding and functional comparison of five commercial laminarin preparations from three suppliers · source_derived_draft · unverified_draft

### bg-same-name-opposite-activity Laminarin is a (1->3, 1->6)-beta-glucan that is widely reported to be a Dectin-1 antagonist, however there are reports that laminarin is also a Dectin-1 agonist, and of five preparations from three commercial sources all contained laminarin although their molecular mass varied considerably from 4400 to 34,400 daltons, all were bound by recombinant human and mouse Dectin-1 but the affinity varied considerably and binding affinity did not correlate with Dectin-1 agonism, antagonism or potency, two laminarins were Dectin-1 antagonists and two were agonists, and the remaining laminarin was an antagonist but became an agonist when the low molecular weight moieties were removed. Condition category: biomarker_context nutrient_topic: Beta-glucan research collection; topical membership is not evidence of a direct clinical effect, and each preparation is recorded as its own entity with no family link joining any pair. plain_language: Five bottles with the same name on the label: two blocked the receptor, two switched it on, and cleaning up a fifth flipped it. organism: Human and mouse cells tissue_or_cell_type: Recombinant receptor and primary cells experimental_model: Physical, structural, purity, binding and functional comparison of five commercial laminarin preparations from three suppliers limitations: Five preparations of one named natural product. Removing low molecular weight contaminants explained the behaviour of one preparation and not the others, so purity is one cause of the variation rather than the whole of it. exposure: Five laminarin preparations of molecular mass 4400 to 34,400 daltons, before and after extensive dialysis evidence_span: {"source_cache": "artifacts/glucan-research/29246954.abstract.txt", "locator": "Indexed abstract; zero-based, end-exclusive Unicode character offsets", "file_sha256": "5afc1ddc8e49971759dcdc432cedb4c22cad267cace1e3909dd577c8ebb9eaa6", "start_char": 0, "end_char": 1760, "text_sha256": "5afc1ddc8e49971759dcdc432cedb4c22cad267cace1e3909dd577c8ebb9eaa6"} [bg-p29246954] Immunoregulatory Activity of the Natural Product Laminarin Varies Widely as a Result of Its Physical Properties. (2018). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29246954/ DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1701258

availability_state

biomarker_context Imported condition classification; unverified.

evidence_span

{"source_cache": "artifacts/glucan-research/37515324.abstract.txt", "locator": "Indexed abstract; zero-based, end-exclusive Unicode character offsets", "file_sha256": "c5c602f96f0ff319650a47cb53c772df30c0dc267f6e82c46ae51bb5285b6d3f", "start_char": 0, "end_char": 1658, "text_sha256": "c5c602f96f0ff319650a47cb53c772df30c0dc267f6e82c46ae51bb5285b6d3f"}

experimental_model

Glucan denaturation, fluorescence measurement of receptor aggregation and diffusion, and fungal particle contact sites

exposure

Fungal beta-glucans of low, medium and high molecular weight differing in helical structure content, before and after denaturation

limitations

A single-receptor-isoform study using defined glucan conformations. The aggregates observed were small, a few engaged receptors rather than synapse-scale structures.

nutrient_topic

Beta-glucan research collection; topical membership is not evidence of a direct clinical effect, and each preparation is recorded as its own entity with no family link joining any pair. · Beta-glucan

organism

Human receptor in cultured cells

plain_language

What decides whether the receptor fires is the shape the sugar holds in solution, not how tightly it sticks and not whether it dissolves.

primary_references

[bg-p37515324] Dectin-1 multimerization and signaling depends on fungal β-glucan structure and exposure. (2023). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37515324/ DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.07.021

tissue_or_cell_type

Dectin-1A-expressing cells and Candida cell wall

trigger_kind

biomarker_context Imported condition classification; unverified.

Beta-glucan: a structural family rather than an agent, what decides whether a bound glucan actually signals, the complement route that a cereal and a yeast preparation share, and the unequal human evidence behind each (2026-09-22) · lines 151–162

AI-assisted literature curation; primary study URLs and scope retained in the document and extraction. Not publisher full text. · supports · Glucan denaturation, fluorescence measurement of receptor aggregation and diffusion, and fungal particle contact sites · source_derived_draft · unverified_draft

### bg-structure-not-solubility-signals Beta-glucans can adopt solution structures ranging from random coil to insoluble fibre due to tertiary helical and quaternary structure, and despite similar affinity for Dectin-1 the ability of glucans to induce Dectin-1A-mediated signalling correlates with degree of structure, with glucan denaturation experiments showing that glucan structure determines agonistic potential but not receptor binding affinity, while fluorescence measurements provided direct evidence of ligation-induced Dectin-1A aggregation which positively correlated with increasing glucan structure content. Condition category: biomarker_context nutrient_topic: Beta-glucan research collection; topical membership is not evidence of a direct clinical effect, and each preparation is recorded as its own entity with no family link joining any pair. plain_language: What decides whether the receptor fires is the shape the sugar holds in solution, not how tightly it sticks and not whether it dissolves. organism: Human receptor in cultured cells tissue_or_cell_type: Dectin-1A-expressing cells and Candida cell wall experimental_model: Glucan denaturation, fluorescence measurement of receptor aggregation and diffusion, and fungal particle contact sites limitations: A single-receptor-isoform study using defined glucan conformations. The aggregates observed were small, a few engaged receptors rather than synapse-scale structures. exposure: Fungal beta-glucans of low, medium and high molecular weight differing in helical structure content, before and after denaturation evidence_span: {"source_cache": "artifacts/glucan-research/37515324.abstract.txt", "locator": "Indexed abstract; zero-based, end-exclusive Unicode character offsets", "file_sha256": "c5c602f96f0ff319650a47cb53c772df30c0dc267f6e82c46ae51bb5285b6d3f", "start_char": 0, "end_char": 1658, "text_sha256": "c5c602f96f0ff319650a47cb53c772df30c0dc267f6e82c46ae51bb5285b6d3f"} [bg-p37515324] Dectin-1 multimerization and signaling depends on fungal β-glucan structure and exposure. (2023). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37515324/ DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.07.021

evidence_span

{"source_cache": "artifacts/glucan-research/22118569.abstract.txt", "locator": "Indexed abstract; zero-based, end-exclusive Unicode character offsets", "file_sha256": "e1f7121d5a128b1e43ab60ba66394c7ca094617309c976e0b4c8c92ac46b4f23", "start_char": 0, "end_char": 1812, "text_sha256": "e1f7121d5a128b1e43ab60ba66394c7ca094617309c976e0b4c8c92ac46b4f23"}

experimental_model

Post-hoc analysis of the same four-week multicentre trial by participant ethnicity

exposure

The same oat beta-glucan molecular weight and dose arms, analysed in Caucasian and non-Caucasian subgroups

limitations

A post-hoc subgroup analysis of a trial designed to answer a different question, and the authors state it was underpowered to detect a difference between the groups.

nutrient_topic

Beta-glucan research collection; topical membership is not evidence of a direct clinical effect, and each preparation is recorded as its own entity with no family link joining any pair. · Beta-glucan

organism

Human

plain_language

The effect showed up in both groups, and the trial was too small to say whether it is bigger in one.

primary_references

[bg-p22118569] Bioactive oat β-glucan reduces LDL cholesterol in Caucasians and non-Caucasians. (2011). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22118569/ DOI: 10.1186/1475-2891-10-130

tissue_or_cell_type

Serum LDL cholesterol

Beta-glucan: a structural family rather than an agent, what decides whether a bound glucan actually signals, the complement route that a cereal and a yeast preparation share, and the unequal human evidence behind each (2026-09-22) · lines 528–539

AI-assisted literature curation; primary study URLs and scope retained in the document and extraction. Not publisher full text. · supports · Post-hoc analysis of the same four-week multicentre trial by participant ethnicity · source_derived_draft · unverified_draft

### bg-the-effect-is-not-ethnicity-specific LDL cholesterol after 4 weeks was influenced by baseline LDL cholesterol and treatment but not ethnicity with p = 0.74, in all subjects compared to control the three bioactive arms reduced LDL cholesterol significantly by 4.8 to 6.5% while the 4 gram low molecular weight arm had no effect, and the bioactive oat beta-glucan treatments reduced LDL cholesterol by a combined mean of 0.18 mmol/L or 4.8% in Caucasians, a value not significantly different from the 0.37 mmol/L or 10.3% reduction in non-Caucasians, with insufficient power to determine if the magnitude differed by ethnicity. Condition category: normal nutrient_topic: Beta-glucan research collection; topical membership is not evidence of a direct clinical effect, and each preparation is recorded as its own entity with no family link joining any pair. plain_language: The effect showed up in both groups, and the trial was too small to say whether it is bigger in one. organism: Human tissue_or_cell_type: Serum LDL cholesterol experimental_model: Post-hoc analysis of the same four-week multicentre trial by participant ethnicity limitations: A post-hoc subgroup analysis of a trial designed to answer a different question, and the authors state it was underpowered to detect a difference between the groups. exposure: The same oat beta-glucan molecular weight and dose arms, analysed in Caucasian and non-Caucasian subgroups evidence_span: {"source_cache": "artifacts/glucan-research/22118569.abstract.txt", "locator": "Indexed abstract; zero-based, end-exclusive Unicode character offsets", "file_sha256": "e1f7121d5a128b1e43ab60ba66394c7ca094617309c976e0b4c8c92ac46b4f23", "start_char": 0, "end_char": 1812, "text_sha256": "e1f7121d5a128b1e43ab60ba66394c7ca094617309c976e0b4c8c92ac46b4f23"} [bg-p22118569] Bioactive oat β-glucan reduces LDL cholesterol in Caucasians and non-Caucasians. (2011). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22118569/ DOI: 10.1186/1475-2891-10-130