 |
 |
 |
|
Alternative Names: Beta-1,3-Glucan, Beta-Glucan, Beta Glucan, Beta-1,3-D-Glucan.
Beta glucan is a naturally derived polysaccharide which has been studied for its anti-tumor and immune stimulating properties.
Source
Beta Glucan is a unique polysaccharide composed of glucose molecules extracted and purified from the cell wall of common baker's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It can also be extracted from oats.
Function; Reasons For Use
The carbohydrate polymers known as Beta-1,3-d-glucans exert potent effects on the immune system -- stimulating anti-tumor and antimicrobial activity, for example -- by binding to receptors on macrophages and other white blood cells and activating them.
Beta-1,3-glucan is a safe and potent nutritional supplement with a systemic effect that can be described as non-specific immune stimulation combined with its free radical scavenging activity. Some of the biological events caused by this stimulation are:- Activation of macrophages, expressing increased nonspecific phagocytic ability allowing macrophages to destroy pathogens more efficiently, frequently preventing disease.
- Release of important cytokines, such as IL-1, IL-2 among others, initiating immune cascade and triggering other cell lines, such as T-cells.
- Release of colony-stimulating factors, boosting bone marrow production.
- Cholesterol reduction through cell activation and antioxidant activity.
Beta glucan is used to maintain or stimulate the effectiveness of the immune system. Both animal and human cell culture studies have shown that beta glucan can stimulate several aspects of immune function, such as phagocytosis and interleukin production.
Groups of people that are considered to benefit from beta-1,3-glucan supplementation include:- People with impaired immunity from any cause including but not restricted to HIV infection; people with high occurrence of infectious diseases, tumors and undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy; age people aged 40+ when the natural aging process starts to slow down immune reactivity, geriatric patients, and others with a compromised immune response.
- People who may be affected by extra free radical production caused by external sources: those frequently exposed to low-dose radiation, including sunlight, other types of exposures such as electromagnetic fields; lack of raw fruits and vegetables in diet and eating preserved foods. Extra free radicals can also be a result of a chronic disease such diabetes or chronic inflammation.
- People who exercise or train excessively, professional and amateur athletes as well as people who workout intensively and also those under physical or emotional stress who have a temporary immune deficiency which can result in infection. Beta-1,3-glucan will provide them with nonspecific immunostimulation that can increase their resistance to illness.
- People with high risk of atherosclerosis should consider adding beta-1,3-glucan to their diet whether they are taking cholesterol-reducing drugs or not. Macrophage activation will not only help to draw extra cholesterol from the blood but it also can prevent further plaque formation on the arterial walls and phagocytize existing plaque which is recognized as a foreign body.
Beta glucan may be helpful in blood sugar control. The addition of beta-glucan predictably reduces the glycemic index. In a 50gm carbohydrate portion each gram of beta-glucan reduces the glycemic index by 4 units, making it a useful functional food component for reducing postprandial glycemia.
Side-Effects
Beta-1,3-glucan is Generally Recognized As Safe (category GRAS according to FDA) and has no toxicity or side-effects.
|
|
 |
|
 |
Beta 1,3 Glucan can help with the following:
KEY | | May do some good |  | | Likely to help |
GLOSSARY
Antimicrobial
Tending to destroy microbes, hinder their multiplication or growth.
Antioxidant (Antioxidants)
A chemical compound that slows or prevents oxygen from reacting with other compounds. Antioxidants are substances that protect cells from oxidative damage caused by molecules called free radicals. These chemicals can damage important parts of cells, such as proteins, membranes, and DNA. Some antioxidants have been shown to have cancer-protecting potential because they neutralize free radicals. Examples include vitamins C and E, beta carotene, the minerals selenium and germanium, superoxide dismutase (SOD), coenzyme Q10, catalase, and some amino acids.
Arterial (Arteries, Artery)
Blood that leaves the heart. When it leaves the right ventricle, it is venous blood; and when it leaves the left ventricle, through the aorta, it is fresh and oxygenated. After it has passed out to the capillaries and started to return, it is venous blood.
Atherosclerosis
Common form of arteriosclerosis associated with the formation of atheromas which are deposits of yellow plaques containing cholesterol, lipids, and lipophages within the intima and inner media of arteries. This results in a narrowing of the arteries, which reduces the blood and oxygen flow to the heart and brain as well as to other parts of the body and can lead to a heart attack, stroke, or loss of function or gangrene of other tissues.
Carbohydrates (Carbohydrate)
The sugars and starches in food. Sugars are called simple carbohydrates and found in such foods as fruit and table sugar. Complex carbohydrates are composed of large numbers of sugar molecules joined together, and are found in grains, legumes, and vegetables like potatoes, squash, and corn.
Chemotherapy
A treatment of disease by any chemicals. Used most often to refer to the chemical treatments used to combat cancer cells. Chemotherapy is usually given in cycles: a treatment period followed by a recovery period, then another treatment period, and so on. Most anticancer drugs are given by injection into a blood vessel (IV); some are given by mouth. Chemotherapy is a systemic therapy, meaning that the drugs enter the bloodstream and travel throughout the body. Usually, a patient has chemotherapy as an outpatient (at the hospital, at the doctor's office, or at home). However, depending on which drugs are given and the patient's general health, a short hospital stay may be needed.
Cholesterol
A waxy, fat-like substance manufactured in the liver and found in all tissues, it facilitates the transport and absorption of fatty acids. In foods, only animal products contain cholesterol. An excess of cholesterol in the bloodstream can contribute to the development of atherosclerosis.
Chronic (Chronicity)
Usually referring to chronic illness: Illness extending over a long period of time.
Cytokines (Cytokine, TH1, TH2)
Cytokines are chemical messengers that control immune responses. They are secreted by white blood cells, T cells, epithelial cells and some other body cells. There are at least 17 different kinds of interleuken and 3 classes of interferon called alpha, beta and gamma and various subsets. Interleukens and interferons are called “cytokines” and there are two general groupings, Th1 and Th2. Th1 (T-cell Helper type 1) promote cell-mediated immunity (CMI) while Th2 (T-cell Helper type 2) induce humoral immunity (antibodies).
Diabetes Mellitus (Diabetes, Diabetic, Diabetics)
A disease with increased blood glucose levels due to lack or ineffectiveness of insulin. Diabetes is found in two forms; insulin-dependent diabetes (juvenile-onset) and non-insulin-dependent (adult-onset). Symptoms include increased thirst; increased urination; weight loss in spite of increased appetite; fatigue; nausea; vomiting; frequent infections including bladder, vaginal, and skin; blurred vision; impotence in men; bad breath; cessation of menses; diminished skin fullness. Other symptoms include bleeding gums; ear noise/buzzing; diarrhea; depression; confusion.
FDA
The (American) Food and Drug Administration. It is the official government agency that is responsible for ensuring that what we put into our bodies - particularly food and drugs - is safe and effective.
Free Radical (Free Radicals)
A free radical is an atom or group of atoms that has at least one unpaired electron. Because another element can easily pick up this free electron and cause a chemical reaction, these free radicals can effect dramatic and destructive changes in the body. Free radicals are activated in heated and rancid oils and by radiation in the atmosphere, among other things.
Glucose
A sugar that is the simplest form of carbohydrate. It is commonly referred to as blood sugar. The body breaks down carbohydrates in foods into glucose, which serves as the primary fuel for the muscles and the brain.
Gram (gm, gms, Gramme, Grammes, Grams)
A metric unit of weight, there being approximately 28 grams in one ounce.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
A retrovirus associated with onset of advanced immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
IL-2
Interleukin-2.
Immune System (Immune Response, Immunity)
A complex that protects the body from disease organisms and other foreign bodies. The system includes the humoral immune response and the cell-mediated response. The immune system also protects the body from invasion by making local barriers and inflammation. The process may involve acquired immunity (the ability to learn and remember a specific infectious agent), or innate immunity (the genetically programmed system of responses that attack, digest, remove, and initiate inflammation and tissue healing).
Macrophage (Macrophages)
An immune system cell that scavenges bacterial and other foreign material in the blood and tissues. It is a mature form of what is released from the marrow as a monocyte. A macrophage lives long, can digest much detritus, and is able to wear particles of odd food on its outer membrane. This allows T-cell and B-cell lymphocytes to taste the particle (an epitope) and form an antibody response. Further, these macrophages, traveling as monocytes, will take up permanent residence in many tissues, providing them with immunity. They line the spleen, form the cleansing Kupffer cells in the liver, make up the "dust cells" that protect the lungs, protect the synovial fluids of the joints, and form the microglial cells that provide protection to the brain and nerve tissues. Essentially the macrophages clean up messes and act as the intermediates between innate and acquired immunity.
Neutrophils (Neutrophil)
Another name for polymorphonuclear leukocytes, the most common type of blood-carried white blood cell, and the first mobile resistance cell to come to the rescue in injury.
Phagocytosis
Process of ingestion and digestion by cells of solid substances such as other cells, bacteria, dead tissue, and foreign particles.
Postprandial
Following a meal.
Radiation Therapy (Radiotherapy)
The use of high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. Depending on the stage of the disease, treatment with radiation may be given alone or with chemotherapy. Radiation therapy is local therapy; it affects cancer cells only in the treated area. External radiation does not cause the body to become radioactive. Most often, treatment is given on an outpatient basis in a hospital or clinic.
T-Cell (T-Cells)
T cells are lymphocytes that are produced in the bone marrow and mature in the thymus. T cells are responsible for mediating the second branch of the immune system called "cellular immune response." T cells can live for months to years. This lymphocyte population is defined by the presence of a rearranged T-cell receptor.
White Blood Cell (WBC, White Blood Cells)
A blood cell that does not contain hemoglobin: a blood corpuscle responsible for maintaining the body's immune surveillance system against invasion by foreign substances such as viruses or bacteria. White cells become specifically programmed against foreign invaders and work to inactivate and rid the body of a foreign substance. White blood cells are composed primarily of neutrophils, monocytes and lymphocytes. Lymphocytes are either T-cells or B-cells. T-cells (CD3 cells) are divided into T-helper (CD4 cells) and T-suppressor/cytotoxic (CD8 cells) cells.
Yeast
A single-cell organism that may cause infection in the mouth, vagina, gastrointestinal tract, and any or all bodily parts. Common yeast infections include candidiasis and thrush.
Last updated: Oct 08, 2008
|
 |
|
|
