Improved heart health with lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. A healthy diet is key to maintain and improve cardiovascular health (CVH) as it influences several factors that impair CVH including cholesterol and blood glucose. Indeed, low glycaemic carbohydrates, whole grains and fibres as part of a healthy diet, can lower the risk of CHD. The food industry can play a decisive role in helping consumers follow a healthier diet, simply by including such ingredients in their product offering and putting the informative health claims on pack.
BENEO offers Orafti ® β-Fit as a perfect ingredient for such food innovations. With its heart health claims, this wholegrain barley flour, rich in beta-glucans, can be easily added to a wide variety of applications.
BENEOs slow-release sugar Palatinose™ is characterized by a lower and more balanced blood glucose response and thereby helps to maintain CVH.
Reduce blood cholesterol and risk of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)
A daily consumption of 3 g barley beta-glucans reduces blood LDL-cholesterol. Orafti® β-Fit is a wholegrain barley flour, rich in beta-glucans. Orafti ® β-Fit will bind bile acids, which are then excreted.
As those are required for fat digestion, the liver will form new bile acid from cholesterol and thereby lower LDL cholesterol levels in the blood.
People suffering from high LDL-cholesterol levels in their blood, have a higher risk to develop heart problems. By reducing the LDL levels with Orafti® β-Fit in their diet plans, it offers consumers a solution to reduce their risk of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD).
Blood sugar management is key to cardiovascular health
Avoiding high glycaemic foods helps towards heart health
High-glycaemic diets are linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD): Consuming high-GI foods raises blood sugar levels, leading to insulin resistance over time. The resulting oxidative stress and inflammation contributes to blood vessel dysfunction and arterial stiffness – independent risk factor for CVD.
A lower GI diet supports the maintenance of CVH. BENEO’s functional fibres and carbohydrates offer various hero ingredients that provide a low GI solution to your food product formulations. In particular, we speak of the beneficial effects of Orafti® β-Fit and Palatinose™ on blood glucose.
Adding barley beta-glucans reduces blood glucose after a meal
Beta-glucans that are added to food will increase the viscosity of that consumed food in the gastrointestinal tract, slowing down the uptake of glucose (compared to consumed food without the addition of beta-glucans). As such, Orafti® β-Fit offers people an easy way to manage their blood sugar levels which in turn may help to lower the risk of CVD.
Palatinose™ replacing high GI carbs keeps the blood sugar in balance
Palatinose™ is BENEO’s star low glycaemic sugar, known for its lower and steadier glucose and insulin response. There is growing evidence that Palatinose™ supports CVH. The lower blood glucose and insulin response and promotion of GLP-1 release support the maintenance of insulin sensitivity and CVH parameter.
BENEO’s Orafti® β-fit Flour Earns Certification from the American Heart Association
We are thrilled to announce that BENEO’s latest innovation, Orafti® β-fit, has received the esteemed certification from the American Heart Association, proudly featuring the renowned Heart-Check logo*. This recognition underlines Orafti® β-fit’s exceptional commitment to heart health, offering an innovative wholegrain barley flour with an impressive 20% content of beta-glucan. Orafti® β-fit provides our customers and consumers a delicious, nutritious and affordable option for supporting heart health. As such opening the doors to product innovation in a wide variety of applications, bringing the possibility to improve one’s heart health at every income level. Beta-glucans improve heart health by reducing cholesterol levels. This effect has been shown in a vast number of scientific studies (>60 in total) and the positive health effects of beta-glucans have been recognised by official bodies such as EFSA , FDA and other national authorities.
This certification not only solidifies BENEO’s dedication to delivering premium and heart-conscious ingredients but also assures customers of the product’s alignment with the highest standards of heart-healthy nutrition. Explore the heart-smart benefits of Orafti® β-fit as we continue to elevate our commitment to health and wellness.
Read more: Beta-glucans for heart ❤️ health | BENEO
Heart-Check certification does not apply to scientific information unless expressly stated. Visit www.heartcheck.org for more information on heart-healthy living, to learn more about the American Heart Association’s Food Certification Program and view a list of currently certified products.
Consumers view on heart health and how to influence
BENEO is interested in what consumers think about heart health, how much it concerns them in relation to their overall health, and how they believe they can influence the status of their own hearts’ condition. To find out, we ran a video research (2022) in the US, Australia and Spain.
In general, people have some concern about hearth health and know the key to positively influence its status is through regular physical exercise and keeping a healthy diet in general. As such they believe this can avoid stress and improve their mental wellbeing. Although there is still some education to do about the ways to influence one’s heart condition with smart food choices, the general public knows it can help with avoiding these two major issues:
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
