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Barley

Hordeum vulgare

Also known as Hulled barley, Pot barley, Pearl barley

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A cereal grain sold either hulled, with the bran intact, or pearled, with the bran abraded away. The USDA reference entry is for the raw grain, which roughly triples in weight when boiled.

Heart HealthBlood Sugar & Metabolic HealthWeight Management

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Strong

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Blood lipid profile

Heart Health
Strong evidence

Research consistently shows that barley beta-glucan lowers LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol, with multiple meta-analyses in agreement. As with oats, the effect depends on the fibre remaining viscous rather than on the grain itself.

What may be going on: Viscous beta-glucan increases bile acid excretion, prompting the liver to draw circulating cholesterol into replacement bile acid synthesis.

Strong evidence. Consistent findings across multiple good-quality human studies.

2 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Blood glucose response

Blood Sugar & Metabolic Health
Moderate evidence

Some trials report a lower post-meal glucose and insulin response after barley meals compared with refined grains, with a smaller and less consistent effect on longer-term markers.

Moderate evidence. Several human studies point the same way, with real caveats.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Satiety and appetite

Weight Management
Insufficient evidence

Evidence is limited for appetite effects. Small crossover trials report greater fullness and lower subsequent intake after barley meals, but the studies are few and short.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

No source is attached to this association yet, so it is rated insufficient by default. It is listed because people commonly ask about it — not because there is evidence for it.

Ask about Barley

Ask about Barley

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories354 kcal18%
Protein12.5 g25%
Total fat2.3 g3%
Carbohydrate73.5 g27%
Fibre17.3 g62%
Total sugars0.8 g—
Water9.44 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.482 g2%
Monounsaturated fat0.295 g—
Polyunsaturated fat1.11 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.999 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A1 µg0%
Vitamin C0 mg0%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E0.57 mg4%
Vitamin K2.2 µg2%
Thiamin (B1)0.646 mg54%
Riboflavin (B2)0.285 mg22%
Niacin (B3)4.6 mg29%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.282 mg6%
Vitamin B60.318 mg19%
Folate19 µg5%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Minerals
Calcium33 mg3%
Iron3.6 mg20%
Magnesium133 mg32%
Phosphorus264 mg21%
Potassium452 mg10%
Sodium12 mg1%
Zinc2.77 mg25%
Copper0.498 mg55%
Manganese1.94 mg84%
Selenium37.7 µg69%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene13 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin160 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash2.29 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Barley, hulled (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 170283).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • soakedReduces phytate

    Soaking hulled barley before cooking shortens cooking time and modestly reduces phytate, improving iron and zinc availability from the meal.

  • cookedIncreases resistant starch

    Cooking barley and then cooling it increases resistant starch through starch retrogradation, shifting some carbohydrate from small-intestinal digestion to colonic fermentation.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Avoid

    Gluten

    Barley contains hordein, one of the gluten proteins, and must be avoided in coeliac disease. This includes malt, malt extract and malt vinegar, which are easy to miss on labels.

  • Worth knowing

    Fructans and fermentation

    Barley is high in fructans as well as beta-glucan, so it is a common trigger in irritable bowel syndrome and can cause gas and bloating when introduced quickly.

  • Worth knowing

    Pearling removes fibre and minerals

    Pearl barley cooks faster but has lost much of its bran, and with it a share of the fibre and minerals present in hulled barley.