What Is Beta Glucan Used for?
In a simple sense, beta glucans are polysaccharides (sugars.) They're found within the cell walls of animals (such as various types of bacteria, fungi, and yeast) and plants (i.e. barley and oats.) Because they have a beneficial effect on human health, they are sometimes derived from these plants and animals to be used as a medicine.
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Types
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Because there is such a wide range of sources and processing methods, there is an equally wide range of beta glucan types and formulations on the market. Some of these include: Beta 1,3/1,6-D glucan (derived from bakers' yeast), MG Glucan (a proprietary form that is processed in a way to stop it from re-aggregating when digested), PGG-glucan, scleroglucan, and beta 1,4 glucan, among others. There are scores of trademark names for various beta glucans, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're different or better. Beta glucan packaging regularly features letter combinations such as NSC and WGP that are simply brand names and not indicative of unique formulation.
Benefits
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Beta glucans are beneficial to the body in many ways, mostly in relation to their ability to fight irritation and accelerate healing. Injectable forms have been shown by some studies to stimulate immune function, as they have a tendency to increase anti-infective chemicals in the blood. Beta glucan therapy has been used successfully to reduce mortality and facilitate the healing of trauma wounds. Arthritis patients treated with yeast-extracted beta glucans experienced a decline in oxidative tissue damage. Orally ingested beta glucans have been shown to lower blood cholesterol by preventing its absorbtion. Finally, beta glucans activate microglial cells in the central nervous system, which remove cell debris from the brain and thus support patients with such conditions as Alzheimer's, AIDS and multiple sclerosis.
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Potential
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Japanese medicine has used injectable forms of beta glucans for more than two decades as immune support for chemotherapy patients, and the United States is in the final stages to approve their use as well (though, at this point, the FDA has not finalized the approval of beta glucans for treatment of any disease.) The research is promising, however: in a series of studies on mice, beta 1,3 glucan inhibited tumors, prevented cancer from metastasizing, and generally reduced mortality. In studies on human cancer patients (specifically, with advanced gastric or colorectal cancer), adding a regimen of shiitake-derived beta glucans to chemotherapy prolonged survival.
Fun Fact
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The Canadian Defense Department conducted a study on anthrax (using mice) to test beta glucan's ability to reduce mortality in exposure to the poison. Incredibly, the study showed that orally administered, yeast-derived beta glucan protected mice against anthrax whether or not antibiotics were given at the same time. Some of the mice were given antibiotics and beta glucan for eight days prior to anthrax exposure; those mice didn't suffer infection over the course of the 10-day post-exposure test period. Those unlucky mice to be treated with antibiotic alone did not survive anthrax exposure.
Misconceptions
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Because beta glucan has a nominal effect on glycemic index and insulin response, some venues have promoted the compound as a weight-loss solution. There is still much research to be done on the subject, however, and these claims have not been substantiated in the clinical sense.
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