Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most common chronic liver disease. Currently, there is no officially approved drug to treat NAFLD. β-glucan, a natural bioactive polysaccharide, has demonstrated hepatoprotective effects in NAFLD prevention and treatment. This review focuses on published preclinical animal studies demonstrating the anti-liver injury, anti-steatotic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fibrotic effects of food-derived β-glucans. β-glucans from various sources (oat, yeast, fungi) were found to reduce hepatic lipid accumulation, decrease liver enzyme levels, suppress NF-κB-mediated inflammation, modulate gut microbiota composition, and attenuate liver fibrosis. The review highlights food-derived β-glucans as a promising nutritional strategy for NAFLD prevention and management, with Aureobasidium pullulans-derived β-glucan among the most studied candidates.
This systematic review synthesizes preclinical evidence on food-derived β-glucans for NAFLD, finding consistent hepatoprotective effects across multiple sources including Aureobasidium pullulans. β-glucans reduced hepatic steatosis, inflammation (via NF-κB suppression), and fibrosis, and beneficially modulated gut microbiota. The review supports β-glucan supplementation as a promising dietary intervention for NAFLD, a disease affecting approximately 25% of the global population with no approved pharmacotherapy.
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Kei N; Wong VWS; Lauw S; You L; Cheung PCK. Utilization of Food-Derived β-Glucans to Prevent and Treat Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). Foods. 2023. DOI: 10.3390/foods12173279. PMID: 37685211.
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