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Additional Information
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Beta 1,3/1,6 Glucan: Immune Health
Staying healthy depends on one thing - the health of your immune system. Studies show that yeast beta 1,3/1,6 glucan is one of the most powerful supplements for supporting the immune system. Unfortunately, we live in a toxic world. Chlorine in drinking water, air pollution, pesticides, herbicides, poisons and other pollutants of all types enter our food chain through water, soil and air - all these create significant stress to our immune systems. Each year in the U.S., approximately 260 million tons of 700,000 different toxic chemicals are released into the air, water and ground - that's roughly a ton per year for every person! The evidence of severe health risks from all this pollution is compelling. Numerous studies have shown links between chemical exposure and numerous health problems, including cancer, depression, mood swings, diabetes, asthma, heart disease and other chronic conditions.
The best things we can do, faced with these unavoidable health threats, is to strengthen our body's immune system to guard against harmful influences.
Fortunately, there is a completely natural supplement which has proven to be one of the most effective agents to support the human immune system.
Beta glucan is a supplement derived and purified from the cell wall of common baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Research has shown that critical cellular components of the human immune system, macrophages, neutrophils and natural killer (NK) cells actually have specific receptors for the beta glucan macromolecule. It seems that Nature has "designed" beta glucan to provide support for our immune systems.
A recent human study demonstrated that a beta glucan supplement significantly increased the number of immune cells that were actively engulfing and destroying one or more foreign particles or intruders. After 10 days of treatment, the supplement had increased the percentage of immune cells able to phagocytose (or "eat") one particle from 63.8% to 83.2%. The number of highly phagocytic cells increased from 37.3% to more than 50%. These results show that taking beta glucan enhanced the human immune system to defend the body against a challenge. Additonally, the numbers of several important cytokines (proteins which support immune function) were increased as well.
How Beta Glucan Works:
Beta glucan provides protection against diseases by enhancing four key immune responses.
First, it primes macrophages, neutrophils and natural killer (NK) cells to defend the body against a broad range of foreign challenges. These cells are chiefly responsible for destroying pathogens and tumor cells.
Second, it enhances the ability of these cells to move from the peripheral circulation of the body to the site of the challenge or attempted "invasion" by a pathogen.
Third, beta glucan enhances the ability of these innate immune cells to phagocytize, or "eat" pathogens.
Finally, beta glucan enhances the production of oxygen intermediates and other agents that act to destroy the disease challenge.
The end result is an enhancement of the body's ability to fight against pathogenic challenges - whether microbial, fungal, viral or cancer-related.
Not all beta glucan supplements are created equal:
Beta glucan needs to be highly purified in order to be effective. Essentially, the outer layers of the yeast cell need to be removed to expose the beta glucan, so that it can bind to the receptor sites of the innate immune cells.
The purification process should also remove mannoproteins and yeast residues. These can cause adverse effects in many people, and also reduce the overall effectiveness of the beta glucan. This purification process is costly, however, so unfortunately, some of the inexpensive brands of beta glucan take some short cuts in this area, and are minimally purified, at best. In fact, some unprocessed baker's yeast as a supplement.
Accordingly, it's important that you do some of your own research when investigating beta glucan products - and look at the research that's been performed using the supplements - to make sure that you get as pure a form as possible. Be sure that independent studies were performed using the specific brand you're considering, and beware of "borrowed" research and other misleading marketing tactics. If you're not sure you're getting a good brand of beta glucan supplement, you could be paying for an almost completely ineffective powder placebo.
Who should take beta glucan?
Anyone who wants to maintain or enhance the effectiveness of their immune system; anyone who experiences daily stress (which lowers the immune response); those who want to slow the effects of the aging process; people who are susceptible to infectious diseases, slow and incomplete healing; and those who suffer form HIV/AIDS or cancer.
Ideally, beta glucan should be taken as a daily supplement, because the immune system's viability fluctuates from day to day, due to direct and indirect environmental conditions. When the immune system is suppressed, weakened, or under stress, we will be more prone to illness. Also, the billions of innate immune cells which protect us have a life-span of only a day or two, so a daily intake of beta glucan will help to support the immune system on a constant basis. After all, the challenges to the immune system are constant, so we need to provide consistent support.
The following conditions are known to compromise immunity:
AIDS and HIV Epstein-Barr Virus
Allergies Fungal Infection
Athletic Training Herpes
Bacterial Infection Mononucleosis
Bronchitis Old Age
Cancer Parasitic Infection
Candidiasis Pneumonia
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Poor Nutrition
Chronic Infection Radiation
CMV Virus Stress
Common Cold Surgery
Diabetes Viral Infection
Emphysema Wound Healing
References:
Williams, Mueller, Browder: Glucan-based macrophage stimulators. Clinical Immunotherapy 1996
DiLuzio, Williams, et.al.n Comparative tumor-inhibitory and anti-bacterial activity of soluble and particulate glucan. Int J. Cancer.
Ljungman AG, Leanderson P, Tagesson P. (1-3)-beta-D-glucan stimjulates nitric oxide generation and cytokine mRNA expression in macrophages. Environ Toxicol Pharmacol 1998; 5: 273-281.
Suzuki I, Hashimoto K, Ohno N, Tanaka H, Yadomae T. Immunomodulatory by orally administered beta glucan in mice. Int J Immunopharmacol 1989, 11: 761-769.
Kulicke WM, Lettau Al, Thieking H. Correlation between immunological activity, molar mass, and molecular structure of different (1-3)-beta-D-glucans. Carbohydr Res 1997; 297: 135-143.
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South River
Compounding Pharmacy
Southside: 2300 Robious Station Circle, Midlothian, VA 23113
West End: 3656 Mayland Court, Richmond, VA 23233
Serving the Greater Richmond, Virginia area, including
Chesterfield, VA, Hanover, Henrico, Powhatan |
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