Barley vs Wheat - Health impact and Nutrition Comparison

Summary

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

Although there is no significant difference in nutritional content comparison, wheat is a better source of minerals while barley is richer in vitamins.

Despite the fact that most of the market today offers gluten-free products, the number of people suffering from gluten sensitivity is not as frightening as it seems.

Introduction

Wheat vs. barley - both of them are whole grains, widely consumed worldwide. Some people consider them to be 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.

Historical Background

Wheat, Triticum aestivum, is 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 by this way most of its nutrients. 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 to be nutritional goldmines since they are powerful sources of protein, carbohydrates, fiber, essential vitamins, and minerals.

Barley is higher in dietary fiber than wheat; on the other hand, wheat is higher in protein. They contain almost equal quantities of fats and carbohydrates.

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, wheat is the winner because it is radically higher in selenium, inconsiderably higher in phosphorus, slightly higher in copper and zinc, as well as in magnesium and manganese. Wheat also 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" chart below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food

Barley

2

:

6

Wheat

Contains more Phosphorus +92.4%

Contains less Sodium -83.3%

Contains more Zinc +50.2%

Contains more Copper +11%

Equal in Calcium - 34

Equal in Iron - 3.52

Equal in Magnesium - 144

Equal in Potassium - 431

Barley

Wheat

Contains more Phosphorus +92.4%

Contains less Sodium -83.3%

Contains more Zinc +50.2%

Contains more Copper +11%

Equal in Calcium - 34

Equal in Iron - 3.52

Equal in Magnesium - 144

Equal in Potassium - 431

Vitamins

What about vitamins comparison? Wheat is considerably higher in vitamin B5 and somewhat higher in vitamin B3. On the other hand, barley is richer in vitamin B2 and vitamin B1, while wheat is higher in vitamin B6.

Barely also contains some content of vitamin K, vitamin A, and vitamin E, which are absent in wheat. 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" chart below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food

Barley

5

:

4

Wheat

Contains more Vitamin A +∞%

Contains more Vitamin B1 +54.2%

Contains more Vitamin B2 +135.5%

Contains more Vitamin B3 +46.4%

Contains more Vitamin B5 +231.6%

Contains more Vitamin B6 +31.8%

Contains more Folate +126.3%

Barley

Wheat

Contains more Vitamin A +∞%

Contains more Vitamin B1 +54.2%

Contains more Vitamin B2 +135.5%

Contains more Vitamin B3 +46.4%

Contains more Vitamin B5 +231.6%

Contains more Vitamin B6 +31.8%

Contains more Folate +126.3%

Health impact

Health benefits

Wheat 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 as well as the risk of different types of cancer (1). On the other hand, a high intake of selenium-rich foods may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Wheat is also higher in copper, which contributes to the formation of red blood cells, 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. The group of B vitamins contributes 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, 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).

Downsides and Risks

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), 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 the European Americans, 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 type of protein found in wheat, which leads 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

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22381456/
2. https://foodstruct.com/list/foods-high-in-copper-cu
3. Nutritional Contents and Medicinal Properties of Wheat: A Review
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4998136/
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28252255/
6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25020181/
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3292448/
8. Effects of wheat germ agglutinin on human gastrointestinal epithelium
9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6393371/