Effect of Young Barley Leaf Extract and Adlay on Plasma Lipids and LDL Oxidation in Hyperlipidemic Smokers

Abstract

Atherosclerosis is the principal cause of heart attacks, strokes and gangrene of the extremities. Atherosclerotic lesions result from an excessive, inflammatory-fibroproliferative response to various forms of insults to the endothelium and smooth muscles of the artery walls.1) Previous studies have also indicated that the oxidative modification of lowdensity lipoprotein (LDL) plays a key role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. 2)Cigarette smoke contains high concentrations of gaseous oxygen radicals and nitric oxides. The constituents of cigarette smoke might activate the inflammatory-immune response, which induces more oxidants in the body. Those free radicals and oxidants can induce antioxidant depletion and oxidative damage to lipids, proteins and DNA.3) Smokers have a 15-20% lower concentration of ascorbate in plasma than nonsmokers. 4) Ascorbic acid and possibly tocopherols have a high turnover in smokers, which can promote the development of the atheromatous plaque. 5)Young barley leaf extract (BL) is a good natural source of vitamins and minerals. It is made from barley leaves harvested 2 weeks after seeding. The barley leaves were freezedried for 3 d and then ground. The ground leaves contain fat 4.97%, polysaccharide 52.6%, protein 34.1%, and a variety of vitamins, minerals and polyphenolic compounds (analyzed by YH Products Corporation, Oxnard, CA, U.S.A.); and they have been shown to exhibit antioxidative activity in a lipid peroxidation system. 6) For over a thousand years, consumption of adlay (Coix lachryma-jobi L. var. ma-yuen stapf), a close relative of oats, has been thought to have health benefits, but there has been a lack of scientific studies to support this notion. Recent studies, however, indicate that adlay may possess diuretic, anticonvulsant, and antitumor activities 7,8) and may be effective in decreasing plasma cholesterol and triacylglycerol (TG) and in increasing high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C).9)The present study was performed to assess the effects of supplementation of BL or adlay on plasma lipids and LDL susceptibility to oxidation in hyperlipidemic smokers and nonsmokers. MATERIALS AND METHODSSubjects Data were collected from 40 hyperlipidemic male patients (plasma TG Ͼ2.2 mmol/l (200 mg/dl), total cholesterol (TC) Ͼ5.0 mmol/l (200 mg/dl), aged 40 to 70 years, who attended the China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan for health checkups. Patients were excluded from the study if they had a history of liver disease, had been on medication for cardiovascular problems or were taking other drugs known to alter lipoprotein concentration or susceptibility to LDL oxidation. Patients were instructed not to alter their dietary habits or exercise patterns and not to consume any vitamin supplements. Subjects included 20 nonsmokers and 20 current smokers; smokers were defined as those who smoked Ͼ10 cigarettes/d. All subjects maintained their normal activities and smoking habits throughout the study. Each subject was instructed by a registered dietitian to follow...

Effects of adlay seed oil on blood lipids and antioxidant capacity in hyperlipidemic rats

“…It was reported that supplementation with adlay seed and its crude extract decreased blood lipids and inhibited LDL oxidation in animals or humans 24–29. The present study demonstrated that adlay seed oil at a dose of 5 mL kg −1 could significantly reduce ( P < 0.01) the LDL‐C content in hyperlipidemic rats.…”

Chemopreventive properties of young green barley extracts in in vitro model of colon cancer

“…Furthermore, young green barley has a broad spectrum of health-promoting properties, such as antioxidant [8,9,10,12], anti-inflammatory [10,13], anti-depressant [14], hypoglycemic [15,16] and anti-atherosclerotic [17,18,19,20]. Barley seedlings also may inhibit differentiation of osteoclasts and bone-resorbing activity in all the stages of osteoclastogenesis [21].…”

Management of diabetic dyslipidemia with subatmospheric dehydrated barley grass powder

“…[23] In another study on hyperlipidaemic subjects, supplementation with 15 g of young barley leaf extract for 4 weeks substantiated the previous observations. [24] With a control group, none of the subjects being on lipid lowering medication and no significant dietary changes noted before and after supplementation, our data indicate that improvements in lipids may be due to BGP per se.…”