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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BHNRC) » Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center » Food Components and Health Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #107832
Title: BREATH HYDROGEN AND METHANE EXPIRATION TO BARLEY AND OATS OF OVERWEIGHT WOMEN

Author
item Behall, Kay
item Scholfield, Daniel
item Hallfrisch, Judith

Submitted to: Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/18/2000
Publication Date: 3/15/2000
Citation: Behall, K.M., Scholfield, D.J., Hallfrisch, J.G. 2000. Breath hydrogen and methane expiration to barley and oats of overweight women. Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. FASEB A489, 2000.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Consumption of oats, which contains soluble fiber, has been shown to increase levels of breath hydrogen and methane. A new barley cultivar (Prowashonupana barley SustagrainTM) has been developed which has three times the amount of soluble fiber found in standard oats. The expiration of breath gases after this barley has not been investigated. Nine women, averaging 50.1 (37-60) years old with a body mass index of 30 (25.8-32.9), consumed glucose (1 g/kg body weight) and four test meals (1 g carbohydrate/kg body weight) of sweetened grain of which 2/3 of the carbohydrate was from oat flour, oatmeal, barley flour or barley flakes in a Latin Square. A standard three day menu was fed before and during breath sample collection. Collections were made before and periodically for 10 hours after the tolerance. Methane production was not significantly different between the tolerance tests. Average breath hydrogen expiration was highest after barley flakes (23.2 +/- 2.4 ppm/h), barley flour (18.8 ppm/h), oat flakes (17.2 ppm/h), followed by oat flour (12.4 ppm/h) and glucose (8.5 ppm/h) tolerances. The response after oat flour, but not oat flakes, was significantly lower than that after either barley tolerance. Only oat flour hydrogen expiration was not different from that after glucose. Particle size of the oats and barley had a moderate effect on the responses. Results indicate that more colonic bacterial digestion occurred after the barley which might affect short chain fatty acid levels entering the liver.