By Shohei Akagawa, Yuko Akagawa, Yoko Nakai, Mitsuru Yamagishi, Sohsaku Yamanouchi, Takahisa Kimata, Kazushige Chino, Taiga Tamiya, Masaki Hashiyada, Atsushi Akane, Shoji Tsuji, Kazunari Kaneko
This study examined whether daily consumption of a granola containing the fibre-rich barley BARLEYMAX® over four weeks alters gut microbiota – specifically the share of butyric acid–producing bacteria (BAPB) – and increases fecal butyric acid levels in healthy adults.
After the intervention, the proportion of BAPB rose from ~5.9% to ~8.2%, and fecal butyric acid increased from 0.99 mg/g to 1.43 mg/g. One month after stopping BARLEYMAX®, BAPB levels returned close to baseline (≈ 5.4%) and butyric acid dropped to 0.87 mg/g. These results support the view that BARLEYMAX® acts as a prebiotic – stimulating beneficial gut bacteria and boosting production of butyric acid, a short-chain fatty acid linked with gut and immune health.
