Abstract:As a nutritious cereal，barley （Hordeum vulgare L. var. nudum Hook. f.） is not only rich in a variety of active ingredients，but also possesses a wide range of biological activities such as antioxidant，hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic，and therefore has a wide range of applications in both food and pharmaceutical fields. In particular，the β-glucan in barley has been proven to regulate glucose-lipid metabolism through a variety of pathways，thus having a positive impact on human health. The latest research results show that barley β-glucan can not only act directly on glycolipid metabolism，but also indirectly affect this process by regulating the intestinal flora，and then play a preventive and mitigating role in diseases such as obesity，type 2 diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia. This article summarizes the latest research on the mechanism of β-glucan in regulating glycolipid metabolism and regulating the intestinal flora to prevent and alleviate these diseases，and gives an outlook on the future research direction.