β-Glucans in Food Systems: Balancing Health, Safety, and Diabetes Prevention

Addressing the global health challenge of type 2 diabetes requires safer therapeutic options beyond conventional treatments with known limitations. This systematic evaluation explores the potential of β-glucans from diverse sources in diabetes management. By integrating existing research on gut microbiota modulation and short-chain fatty acid metabolism, we elucidate the mechanisms through which β-glucans alleviate diabetes and its complications, including neurodegeneration, cardiovascular impairment, and renal fibrosis. The analysis reveals how β-glucans remodel microbial metabolic networks through short-chain fatty acid production and bile acid cycle regulation, modulate energy metabolism pathways, and disrupt oxidative stress-inflammatory crosstalk. Based on comprehensive safety assessments, we establish scientific intake guidelines while investigating β-glucans' structural stability and functional retention during food processing as well as their targeting efficiency and controlled-release properties as nanocarriers for drug delivery. This work provides a theoretical foundation for the dual application of β-glucans in precision nutrition and intelligent drug development for diabetes management.