Barley vs. Wheat — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison

by Zvart Movsisyan | Last updated on May 28, 2023

Medically reviewed by Ani Harutyunyan

Summary

Wheat and barley are versatile, widely used cereal grains. Wheat is mainly used as a food source in different states, and barley is mostly used for beer brewing and cattle feed.

Although there is no significant difference in nutrition comparison, wheat is a better source of minerals and vitamins.

Table of contents

Introduction

Actual differences

Historical Background

Consumption

Nutritional Content

Fiber and protein

Minerals

Vitamins

Health impact

Health benefits

Downsides and Risks

Gluten intolerance and allergy

References

Introduction

Wheat or barley - both of them are whole grains, widely consumed worldwide. Some people consider them the same, but they are absolutely different cereals, although they belong to the same family.

Can you differentiate wheat and barley? Let’s gain insight into the main key points to distinguish them.

Actual differences

Historical Background

Wheat, Triticum aestivum, originated from the Levant. The cultivation of wheat dates back almost 10000 years. It is the second most-consumed grain after rice. The plant’s stalk is long, with spiky kernels in clusters.

Barley, Hordeum vulgare, is the fourth most popularly consumed grain cereal after rice, wheat, and maize. It was domesticated and cultivated in the Near East during the Bronze Age in Mesopotamia about 11000 years ago.

Consumption

Wheat is a staple food; it is used to make bread, biscuits, crackers, pasta, bulgur, cookies, noodles, and other breakfast products, and, to a lesser extent, for beverages and animal food.

Barley is mainly used in beer brewing and the production of other alcoholic beverages. It is also largely used as livestock fodder.

Both wheat and barley are used for direct cooking.

There are two forms of produced and edible barley – hulled and pearled. Hulled barley is minimally processed; the bran and germ are intact, and only the edible outer shell is removed, saving most of its nutrients in this way. Pearled barley is polished and has no bran.

Barley is easy to cook like rice, and wheat needs some preparation before cooking - it should be milled into flour or broken and pre-boiled into bulgur, which unfortunately diminishes wheat’s nutrient content. So, below we will reveal the nutritional content comparison of wheat and barley.

Nutritional Content

There is no significant difference between the nutritional content of wheat and barley. They are considered nutritional goldmines since they are powerful sources of protein, carbohydrates, fiber, essential vitamins, and minerals. Check the macronutrient comparison chart for more information.

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison

Barley

Protein: 2.26 g

Fats: 0.44 g

Carbs: 28.22 g

Water: 68.8 g

Other: 0.28 g

Wheat

Protein: 5.71 g

Fats: 0.83 g

Carbs: 27.6 g

Water: 65.18 g

Other: 0.68 g

Contains more ProteinProtein	+152.7%
Contains more FatsFats	+88.6%
Contains more OtherOther	+142.9%

~equal in Carbs ~27.6g

~equal in Water ~65.18g

Fiber and protein

Wheat is 0.5g higher in dietary fiber and more than two times in protein than barley.

Wheat is especially richer in insoluble fiber, while barley is higher in soluble fiber.

Among all proteins found in wheat and barley, gluten is worth mentioning. Gluten is a common name for some proteins in cereal, which ensures the shape and chewy texture of foods like glue. The gluten protein in barley is hordein, and the gluten found in wheat is gliadin. There are some gluten-related disorders, which we will discuss later.

Minerals

Let’s look at the mineral content of wheat and barley. From the viewpoint of minerals, barley is the winner because it is radically higher in selenium, inconsiderably higher in phosphorus, and slightly higher in copper, zinc, magnesium, and manganese.

On the other hand, wheat contains less sodium.

Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Barley

Wheat

Contains more CalciumCalcium	+22.2%
Contains less SodiumSodium	-62.5%

Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium	+118.2%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium	+76.3%
Contains more IronIron	+32.3%
Contains more CopperCopper	+97.1%
Contains more ZincZinc	+124.4%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus	+172.2%
Contains more ManganeseManganese	+297.7%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium	+270.9%

Vitamins

What about vitamin comparison? Barley is considerably higher in vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, A, and folate. It also has four times more vitamin A. So, in this context, barley is the titleholder.

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Barley

Wheat

Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2	+106.7%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5	+∞%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6	+64.3%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K	+∞%
Contains more FolateFolate	+45.5%
Contains more CholineCholine	+∞%

Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E	+2300%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1	+14.5%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3	+11.7%

~equal in Vitamin C ~mg

~equal in Vitamin A ~µg

~equal in Vitamin D ~µg

~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg

Health impact

Health benefits

Barley is higher in selenium – the essential element for our health. Higher selenium status is essential for human reproduction function. It has antiviral, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects and reduces the risk of autoimmune thyroid disease and different types of cancer (1). What is more, a high intake of selenium-rich foods may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Barley is also higher in copper, which contributes to the formation of red blood cells and body tissues and the proper function of the endocrine and cardiovascular systems. It is also involved in the pigmentation of hair and skin (2).

All B vitamins are concentrated in the bran or germ of wheat and barley, so most of these are lost during processing. B vitamins contribute to the metabolism and nervous system function, providing us with essential energy and nourishing our skin and blood vessels (3).

Barley is higher in dietary fiber. Dietary fiber decreases the risk of type 2 diabetes, prevents constipation, contributes to weight loss, shortens intestinal transit time, reduces the risk of colorectal and breast cancer, and reduces cholesterol and the risk of coronary heart disease (4, 5). According to one study, a high intake of food rich in dietary fiber prevents gallstone disease and the need for cholecystectomy (6). Besides fiber, wheat is a great source of phytochemicals that may have beneficial effects on health: for example, lignans have antitumor activity on colon cancer cells (10).

Downsides and Risks

Gluten intolerance and allergy

We finally got to the most concerning contemporary issues related to gluten. Different people may react to gluten in different ways. According to a review published in 2012, there are three primary forms of gluten reactions: autoimmune (celiac disease, dermatitis herpetiformis, and gluten ataxia), possibly immune-mediated (gluten sensitivity), and allergic (wheat allergy) (7).

Celiac disease is the most common immune-mediated small intestinal disorder among people of European origin, affecting about 1%. People with celiac disease have a genetic predisposition related to the HLA-DQ-2 and HLA-DQ-8 gene mutations, but it doesn’t mean that every person with this predisposition has celiac disease. Clinical presentations vary from the classical intestinal symptoms (diarrhea, bloating, vomiting, stomach pain, constipation, weight loss, etc.) to the extraintestinal symptoms (osteoporosis, anemia, neurological symptoms resulting from malabsorption of nutrients).

Dermatitis herpetiformis presents with a blistering rash. The incidence is about 1:10,000 in the UK and among European Americans, and 4:10,000 and 6:10,000 among the people from Sweden and Finland, respectively. The skin symptoms start with small erythematous vesicles, which rapidly turn into the urticarial papule accompanied by burning and itching.

Non-celiac gluten sensitivity has similar symptoms as celiac disease, which appear a few hours or days after gluten consumption. In this case, the high antibody levels and intestinal damage are absent, contrary to celiac disease.

Wheat allergy is the immunological response to wheat proteins, associated with high levels of immunoglobulin E, known as the allergic marker in the blood. There are different types of wheat allergy, depending on the way of allergen exposure and the underlying mechanisms. Classic food allergy affects the respiratory or gastrointestinal tract. Other forms include skin allergy, wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis, baker’s asthma or rhinitis, and contact urticaria. Symptoms depend on the type (7).

It is important to note that all these conditions can be treated with a gluten-free diet.

Except for gluten, there are some other points of concern. Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) is another protein found in wheat, leading to similar intestinal disorders like gluten by damaging epithelial cells. Researchers use this feature to create anti-tumor drugs (8). According to a study published in 2019, WGA demonstrated maximum toxicity toward acute myeloid leukemia, even in low doses (9).

References

Author name: Zvart Movsisyan

Education: Medical Biochemistry MD

Last updated: May 28, 2023

Medically reviewed by Ani Harutyunyan

Infographic

Infographic link

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient			DV% diff.
Selenium	8.6µg	31.9µg	42%
Manganese	0.259mg	1.03mg	34%
Phosphorus	54mg	147mg	13%
Copper	0.105mg	0.207mg	11%
Zinc	0.82mg	1.84mg	9%
Protein	2.26g	5.71g	7%
Magnesium	22mg	48mg	6%
Iron	1.33mg	1.76mg	5%
Vitamin B5	0.135mg		3%
Vitamin B6	0.115mg	0.07mg	3%
Vitamin E	0.01mg	0.24mg	2%
Vitamin B2	0.062mg	0.03mg	2%
Vitamin B3	2.063mg	2.305mg	2%
Potassium	93mg	164mg	2%
Choline	13.4mg		2%
Fiber	3.8g	4.3g	2%
Vitamin K	0.8µg		1%
Folate	16µg	11µg	1%
Fats	0.44g	0.83g	1%
Vitamin B1	0.083mg	0.095mg	1%
Calories	123kcal	132kcal	0%
Carbs	28.22g	27.6g	0%
Net carbs	24.42g	23.3g	N/A
Calcium	11mg	9mg	0%
Sugar	0.28g	3.07g	N/A
Sodium	3mg	8mg	0%
Trans fat		0.002g	N/A
Saturated fat	0.093g	0.077g	0%
Monounsaturated fat	0.057g	0.084g	0%
Polyunsaturated fat	0.214g	0.243g	0%
Tryptophan	0.038mg	0.051mg	0%
Threonine	0.077mg	0.172mg	0%
Isoleucine	0.083mg	0.22mg	0%
Leucine	0.154mg	0.432mg	0%
Lysine	0.084mg	0.161mg	0%
Methionine	0.043mg	0.097mg	0%
Phenylalanine	0.127mg	0.3mg	0%
Valine	0.111mg	0.267mg	0%
Histidine	0.051mg	0.147mg	0%