WHAT IS BETA GLUCAN?
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The Beta Glucan book
is not intended as medical advice. It
is written solely for informational and
educational purposes. Please consult a health
professional should the need for one be
indicated.
Because there is always some
risk involved, the author and publisher are not
responsible for any adverse effects or
consequences resulting from the use of any of
the suggestions, preparations or methods
described in this book.
The publisher does not advocate the use of any
particular diet or health program, but believes
the information presented in this book should be
available to the public.
All listed addresses, phone
numbers and fees have been reviewed and updated
during production. However, the data is subject
to change.
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About This Book On Beta Glucan
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For decades beta glucan has been known
to scientists as a plant constituent. For over twenty
years now it has been studied for its favorable
biological effects on mammals. It has been common
knowledge in the scientific community that beta glucan
is the most powerful immune stimulant known, is a very
powerful antagonist to both benign and malignant tumors,
lowers cholesterol and triglycerides, normalizes blood
sugar levels, heals and rejuvenates the skin and has
many various other benefits.
Yet in 2004 still no one has bothered
to write a book on the subject. There have been a couple
of incomplete attempts to write small pamplets that
merely skim the surface. Go ahead and search the
Internet for anything on “beta glucan” and see what you
get. Search amazon.com and barnes&noble.com and
you’ll get the same result.
I went back to 1980 in the main
scientific reference journal of the world Chemical
Abstracts, the “Scientists Bible”- and went over every
listing for the last twenty-four years. Every relevant
abstract was copied, every important study was obtained
and translated from foreign languages when necessary.
All these were collated and put together in to this easy
to read,plain English short book.
Why not, say, a 200-page book? Because
that was unnecessary and most people just aren’t going
to take the time to read a long book. All you need to
know is in here.
Everything you need to know and more
is in this short book. It won’t take you long at all to
read it, and after you read it I hope you’ll decide to
take beta glucan for the rest of your life like I have.
This is one of the most important
supplements you can take to be healthy, have strong
immunity and live a long life.
You’ll notice there are no companies
recommended, phone numbers or addresses or any brand
names listed. Products and companies change all the time
so find the best brand at the best price wherever you
can.
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Overview
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This is a factual book. It is also a
very thoroughly documented book replete with dozens and
dozens of published scientific references. You may find
it a little dry at times, but there is a reason for
this- my only intent is to document the scientific
studies that show the amazing power of this natural
supplement.
The natural supplement industry is,
like all other industries, basically directed towards
advertising and profits. You hear endless promotions for
various supplements that claim to do miraculous things
for your health and cure your ills. Fortunately, some of
these natural supplements are, in fact, very powerful
and effective while remaining very safe and non-toxic.
For the layman it becomes impossible
to separate fact from fiction since these promotions are
so skillfully and professionally written.
In the case of beta glucan one company
swears only yeast glucan is valid, while another swears
only oat glucan is effective, while a third swears that
only mushroom glucan works. You’ll see here that all
true 1,3 beta glucans work regardless of their source.
This book was written objectively and
factually with no profit motive. After reading these six
chapters you should agree that beta glucan is one of the
most important supplements you can take. You’ll see that
beta glucan is the most powerful immunity enhancer known
to science.
Beta glucan is now being used on real
people with cancer to see how it can assist in other
therapies. You will especially want to try taking beta
glucan if you suffer from malignancies, high
cholesterol, a weak immune system, or diabetes. Healthy
people will want to take it to become even stronger and
feel better.
It has only been in the last few years
that technology has brought the price down to where we
can get potent 100mg and 200mg capsules very
inexpensively, as well as real topical creams with an
honest 1 percent glucan content. This has been known
about for over 20 years, but the extraction technology
didn’t make this practical and inexpensive for the
general public until 1999. Take advantage of this and
make it a part of your daily supplement program.
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Chapter 1: What Is Beta Glucan?
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Beta glucan is a polysaccharide (i.e.
a chain of glucose molecules) that is found in such
foods as oats, barley, mushrooms and yeasts. For decades
scientists have known beta glucan as a food constituent,
and they knew it was abundant in the foods as just
named. It is extremely difficult to extract and purify,
however.
Oat bran contains about 15 percent
beta glucan and is inexpensive, but hard to use at such
low strength for oral capsules or skin lotions. It
wasn’t until the l980’s that commercial beta glucan
creams started appearing and they were very weak- too
weak to be effective due to the still very high cost of
extracting it.
Finally a few years ago (about 1999)
technology succeeded in producing less expensive beta
glucan from both oats and brewers yeast (after the beer
was brewed). Now oral capsules were offered in amounts
that were honestly biologically effective and a few good
topical creams appeared.
Some companies, however, heavily
advertised their products but still refused to put
realistic amounts of beta glucan in their supplement.
One company, for example, put out two different
strengths- one was called “-24” but only actually
contained a mere 3mg of beta glucan per capsule. The
other was called “-100” but only actually contained a
mere 10mg and was very, very expensive. Both were
therefore useless biologically despite extensive
advertising and a temporary success in the marketplace.
Another sold a product with only 7.5mg
in each capsule for a very high price. Fortunately other
companies came out with 100mg, 250mg and even 500mg
capsules of actual glucan so people could get the
benefits as in the clinical studies.
During the year 2000 even further
breakthroughs happened and beta glucan could be
extracted from brewers yeast with 60 percent purity (60
percent purity for beta glucan is very practical). As of
summer 2004 the oat products still haven’t been able to
match this price and strength of the yeast products but
have come up to over 50 percent purity at a good price.
You must remember the natural
supplement industry can be as bad as any other since
advertising and profits generally can be more important
than helping people be healthier and living longer
naturally. There are some wonderful, sincere and
dedicated people in this industry, but they are
definitely in the minority.
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You will see endless arguments that
mushroom (the most expensive source of all) glucan is
superior, or that yeast glucan is superior, or that oat
glucan is superior. One company swears theirs is free of
fat and protein, which makes it superior! The consumer
can get very confused as to which source is better and
how much does one need to take and what price is fair.
Chemically we only need to be
concerned that what we buy is a true 1,3-D-beta glucan.
This means it is a basic “1,3” position on the glucose
chain. Yeast and mushroom glucans are 1,3/1,6 positions
while oat and barley glucans are 1,3/1,4 positions. It
just doesn’t make any difference folks- they are all
true 1,3 glucans and basically they all have the same
biological benefits.
This was proven quite conclusively in
1997 at the University of Hamburg in Germany
(Carbohydrate Research v. 297, pp. 135-43). Dr.Kulicke
and his cohorts concluded, “All glucans investigated
regardless of molar mass and solution structure
stimulate the investigated immunological measures more
than a commercially available biomedical drug used for
comparison.”
They discovered this after studying
human blood monocytes for, “tumor necrosis factor alpha
release activity”. This basically means they measured
real human blood to see how the glucans would help
strengthen immune qualities and resist infection.
What are the major benefits of taking
beta glucan? This nutrient benefits anyone who wants to
be healthier, live longer, deal with the stress of
modern society, be less allergenic, speed up healing and
resist the dangerous microbes, bacteria and viruses that
seem to be everywhere.
As you saw in the contents, the major
reason to take beta glucan is to enhance your immune
system. If you have benign or malignant tumors it is a
powerful adjuvant (which means to aid or help) to
whatever else you are doing, whether it is taking
chemotherapy or eating a macrobiotic diet.
It is an effective way to lower
cholesterol and triglycerides especially when used with
other natural supplements. The effects on your skin
(especially on your face) are dramatic and it should be
a daily part of your skin care routine. It has been
found to help regulate blood sugar levels especially in
cases of diabetes.
There are various other benefits such
as protection from ionizing radiation that are discussed
in Chapter 6.
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Now that beta glucan is inexpensive
and has come out of the scientific closet after all
these years, we will certainly see many more studies
especially with real people to find new uses for this
wondrous food extract.
How much should you take? Some studies
used ridiculous amounts in test animals like 100 mg per
kilogram. This equates toabout 7,000mg (7 grams!) in a
human male. Interestingly enough they found no negative
side effects even at such extreme doses.
Generally people take 100mg a day for
immunity and cholesterol lowering. If you have a medical
condition and want to add beta glucan to your repetoire
you can take 200-500mg a day. If you have, say,
diabetes, cancer or another serious condition, you could
take up to 300 to 500mg a day for one year and then drop
down to a maintenance dose of the usual 100mg.
Can you take this with prescription
drugs and medication? Certainly! Of course you want to
tell your doctor what you are doing.
Beta glucan is merely a food extract
we find abundantly in such foods as oatmeal and yeasted
bread. It has no known side effects at all even in very
extreme doses. It has a Generally Recognized as Safe
(GRAS) classification from the FDA. Actually it has been
shown repeatedly to enhance the actions of many such
drugs. For example, if you are taking an antibiotic it
may well help the potency of it. If you are taking a
cholesterol lowering drug it will probably help lower
your cholesterol even further. If you are on diabetes
medication it should potentiate that.
You may be wondering how beta glucan
works so powerfully. It would be very presumptuous to
think we understand that very well, but certain things
are known.
We have large white blood cells
“macrophages” (i.e. “great eaters”) such as phagocytes,
neutrophils and other such cells found in all the
tissues of our bodies that literally devour bacteria,
foreign cells, dead and dying cells, mutated cells and
other negative invaders in our bloodstreams. They are
the most important cells in our immune system.
For example, natural killer (NK) cells
eat the cancer and infected cells along with these.
These important cells in our immune systems are
activated and strengthened by beta glucan, by means we
don’t yet truly understand. When you take a beta glucan
supplement these immune cells are more active, more
powerful and effective in attacking and consuming what
doesn’t belong in our systems.
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What is the best kind to take? Barley
derived beta glucan has never been offered because oats
are a more economical source. Oat beta glucan is less
popular than yeast because yeast derived is more
concentrated and less expensive. Mushroom beta glucan is
the most expensive of all and the worst choice for your
money.
Some manufacturers claim they use
bakers yeast, but this seems rather unbelievable since
brewers yeast is a much less expensive source. Millions
of pounds of brewers yeast are discarded by the beer
breweries every year and this is why brewers yeast beta
glucan is the most economical choice as of the year
2004. What about allergies to yeast? Yeast, whether
bakers of brewers, is one of the top ten allergenic
foods known. Beta glucan, however, is so well extracted
and only from the cell walls of the yeast that -even at
only 60% purity- any allergenic proteins are probably
completely removed or present in such small doses as to
not affect you physically. Therefore it is not
allergenic.
Finally human studies are being done
worldwide in the last few years. In Warsaw (Przemysl
Spozysczy v. 56, 2002, pp. 20-1) a review was published.
“Dietary beta glucan enhances immunity by activation of
macrophage cells, doubling their counts in 24 hours.
Dietary beta glucan also acts as an antioxidant
protecting the body against free radical damage and
lowers blood cholesterol levels. Dietary beta glucan can
be helpful in treatment of many immunity-related
diseases.” Very well put.
Find a product that contains sixty
capsules containing at least 200mg each of actual beta
glucan. If it is 50 percent pure there must be 400mg per
capsule to have 200mg of actual glucan content.
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Chapter 2: Nature’s Strongest Immunity Enhancer
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You have heard about exotic,
bioengineered supposed wonders of medical science like
“interferon alpha” for enhancing immunity that are
priced out of the reach of any but the rich. The truth
is that interferon has been a toxic, over-touted failure
from the beginning, and that the strongest immunity
enhancer on earth has been known about for over twenty
years now.
Nothing rivals beta glucan for immune
enhancement. No substance on earth manmade or natural
has the published studies to back it up like beta glucan
does. In the following pages you will see the last
fifteen years of published research to prove this to
you. The many patents will not be included since so many
studies are available.
At Tulane University in New Orleans in
1987 (International Journal of Immunopharmacology v. 9,
pp. 261-7), researchers showed that beta glucan enhanced
the production of both interleukin-1 (IL-1) and
interleukin-2 (IL-2) in rats. Their plasma levels of
IL-1 and IL-2 were measured after this was given. They
concluded, “Thus beta 1,3 glucan will enhance IL-1 and
IL-2 production and elevations in lymphokine production
can be maintained up to 12 days.” (Higher lymphokine
levels stimulate the immune system.)
At the INRA research center in
Toulouse, France in 1989 (Annals of Veterinary Research
v. 20, pp. 165-73) fungal glucans were studied for their
immunopotentiating activity in mice and the researchers
said they, “favorably affect the non-specific host
defense and cellular immune response in mice.”
At Tokyo College Pharmacy in Japan
much work was done over the years on glucans. In 1989
(International Journal of Immunopharmacology v. 11, pp.
761-9) they gave oral glucan from mushrooms
(Sclerotinia) to mice and found this, “enhanced the
activities of both natural killer (NK) cells in the
spleen and the lysosomal enzyme of peritoneal
macrophages.”
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A very impressive study using malaria
was done at Rangaraya Medical College in India in 1990
(in the Indian Journal of Experimental Biology v. 28,
pp. 901-5). Malaria (Plasmodium berghi) was injected
into mice and death was prevented in most of the ones
receiving the glucan while the untreated ones died. They
said, “The results suggest that glucan potentiated both
limbs of immunity and both were involved in the host
defense against malaria.” Malaria is very prevalent in
the poorer topical countries.
At the MacArthur Center for Tropical
Diseases in Israel in 1991 (Parasite Immunology v.13,
pp. 37-45) deadly Leishmania major germs were injected
into mice. Some mice were given yeast beta glucan, which
mitigated most of the effects of this devastating
bacteria. They concluded, “The anti-Leishmania antibody
titer of glucan treated mice was lower and their sera
recognized fewer antigens than that of control
Leishmania bearing mice.”
At the famous Karolinska Institute in
Stockholm a very good study was done in 1991 on real
human natural killer (NK) cells (European Journal of
Immunology v. 21, pp. 1755-8). They used human NK cells,
which actually bind to the beta glucan and they
concluded, “The function of NK cells was also
potentiated by preincubation with beta glucan. The
treatment increased the proportion of target-binding
lymphocytes and of the damaged target cells in the
conjugates.” In plain English it made the NK cells more
powerful and effective.
At the university of Californa at
Davis in 1992 (International Journal of
Immunopharmacology v.14, pp. 767-72) mice were studied
for their immune responses. It was found that beta
glucan was an excellent “adjuvant” which is an immune
enhancer that augments immune response. The found,
“glucan and lipovant present effective adjuvant
alternative, to Freund’s complete adjuvant and may be of
value in immunization against visceral leishmaniasis”
(Leishmania infantum was the bacteria they used in this
experiment).
At the Tokyo College of Pharmacy in
Hachioji in 1993 (Biology Pharmacy Bulletin v. 16, pp.
414-9) mushroom beta glucan called OL-2 was studied on
mice for their specific immune responses including white
blood cells, tumor necrosis factor, bone marrow cells,
colony stimulating factors and other parameters. They
said, “These facts suggested that OL-2 could enhance
nonspecific host defense mechanisms by enhancing
hematopoietic responses…” In other words beta glucan
gives nonspecific immune enhancement by various means.
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At the Ustav Biofaktory in the Czech
Republic in 1993 (Biopharm v. 3, pp. 71-82) dairy cows
were given yeast beta glucan in a double blind
experiment. Various biological responses were measured
and they found optimal doses to be given the cows to
strengthen their immunity.
In raising farm animals like cows,
pigs, and sheep it is important to keep their immunity
high so they will be resistant to disease. Beta glucan
is an inexpensive way to ensure the health of such
animals.
At the Nippon Roche Research Center in
Japan in 1994 (FEBS Letters v. 348, pp. 27-32)
researchers used a killer toxin called HM-1 for this
experiment. They found that beta glucan interfered with
the toxin action of HM-1. They reported, “Addition of
HM-1 killer toxin with several kinds of oligosaccharides
revealed that either beta 1,3 or beta 1,6 glucan block
the cytocidal (toxic) action of HM-1 killer toxin…”
Again, this shows that it does not
matter whether the beta glucan is 1,3 which we are
concerned with, or even the 1,6 configuration (which is
also found in common foods) to be effective.
At Purdue University in Indiana in
1995 (Carbohydrate Polymers v. 28, pp. 3-14) 1,3 beta
glucan was studied for configuration and structure in
relation to immunostimulant activity. They reported
their findings that, “Immunopotentiation effected by
binding of 1,3 beta glucan molecules or particles
probably includes activation of cytotoxic macrophages,
helper T cells, and NK cell, promotion of T-Cell
differentiation and activation of the alternative
complement pathway.”
In simpler terms they feel that beta
glucan works by assisting macrophages, T-cells and NK
cells work more effectively.
At SRI International in California in
1995 (Advances in Experimental and Medical Biology v.
383, pp. 13-22) scientists used beta glucan to enhance
humoral (fluids like blood and lymph) and cell-mediated
immune responses to viral proteins.
They said, “Our studies in mice and
rabbits demonstrated that co administering viral protein
with beta glucan produces immune responses of a higher
magnitude than those elicited by the immunogens alone.”
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At the State University of Tennessee
in 1996 (Proceedings- Beltwide Cotton Conference v. 1,
pp. 285-8) researchers were aware that, “Glucans,
isolated from natural sources, are known to stimulate
humoral and cell-mediated immunity in humans and
animals.
It is now established that 1,3 beta
glucans are recognized by macrophages and perhaps,
neutrophils and NK cells via a 1,3 beta glucan specific
receptor. Following receptor binding, glucan modulates
macrophage cytokine expression.” This simply means they
understand the way glucans work is by binding to
macophages, neutrophils and NK cells and making them
more potent in their defense of the body.
At the James Quillen College of
Medicine in Tennessee doctors published an overview of
the immunology of beta glucan in 1997 (Mediators
Inflammation v. 6, pp. 247-50). “It is now established
that 1,3 beta glucans are recognized by macrophages and
perhaps neutrophils and natural killer cells via a 1,3
beta glucan specific receptor.” Yes, these are some of
the same doctors that attended the Beltwide Cotton
Conference a year earlier; they now published a review
in another journal.
A study from the University of
Saskatchewan took place in 1997 (Microbiological
Immunology v.41, pp. 991-8) with oat glucans they called
OBG.
OBG was tested for its ability to
enhance non-specific resistance to a bacterial challenge
in mice. Survival in mice challenged with deadly
Staphylococcus aureus was enhanced by a single dose of
OBG three days prior to the bacteria being administered.
“These studies demonstated that OBG
possesses immunomodulatory activities capable of
stimulating immune functions both in vitro and in vivo.”
Staphylococcus is one of the most deadly of bacteria to
mammals and for beta glucan to effectively resist this
deadly microbe is very impressive medically. The
National Veterinary Institute in Sweden (Journal of
Veterinary Medicine B v. 50, 2003, pp. 121-7) verfied
this with cows.
Another study at the University of
Saskatchewan in Canada in 1997 (International Journal of
Parasitology v. 27, pp. 329- 37) oat beta glucan was
studied in mice.
The deadly Eimeria vermiformis
bacteria was given to mice and their immune systems were
suppressed with the toxic drug dexamethasone.
The immunosuppressed mice who received
no beta glucan showed severe symptoms of disease and a
50 percent mortality, while minimal symptoms and no
mortality occurred in the beta glucan treated groups.
There were no deaths from Eimeria in the beta glucan
protected mice!
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They summarized the results that beta
glucan treatment strongly increased the resistance to
Eimeria infection even when the immune system was
chemically suppressed.
In 1998 the people at the University
of Saskatchewan (Microbiological Immunity v. 42, pp.
457-65) again studied OBG and this time on the deadly
Eimeria vermiformis bacteria.
Oat beta glucan given to mice raised
their levels of serum Igs (immunoglobulins) and
antigen-specific Igs (specialized immunoglobulins).
One group was not given any glucan and
the other group was before both groups were infected
with the Eimeria. They said, “OBG appeared to
up-regulate immune mechanisms and provide enhanced
resistance against Eimerian coccidiosis in mice.” Again
glucans saved mammals from death by a most deadly
bacteria.
At the National Hospital in Oslo in
1998 (Scandinavian Journal of Immunology (v. 47, pp.
548-53) more scientists studied mice.
This time they were given beta glucan
before being infected with the deadly Mycobacterium
bovis bacteria. Mice treated with the beta glucan showed
significantly lower numbers of bacteria in their bodies
and especially in their spleens and livers. They said,
“The results suggest that beta glucan has a protective
effect against Mycobacterium bovis infection in
susceptible mice.”
Oat beta glucan was studied in mice at
the University of Saskatchewan (FEMS Immmunology v. 35,
2003, pages 67-75). “In conclusion, the oral or
parenteral oat beta glucan treatment enhanced the
resistance to Staphalococcus aureus or Eimeria
vermiformis infection in the mice.
These studies suggest that immune
functions may be up-regulated by both oral and
parenteral administration of oat beta glucan and these
enhanced responses may play an important role in
providing resistance to bacterial and parasitic
infection. Current pharmacological treatments for the
pathogenic infections may be enhanced when combined with
oat beta glucan administration.”
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At the Slovak Academy of Sciences in
Bratislava in 1999 (Carbohydrate Polymers, v. 38, pp.
247-53) doctors studied beta glucans from both yeast and
fungus (Aspergillus) to see if they would stimulate
immunity using live cells and sophisticated FTIR
spectroscopy.
They concluded that, “It has been
found that the derivatives prepared reveal high
mitogenic and comitogenic activities, as well as
radioprotective and antimutagenic effects. ”In other
words it stimulates immunity in four basic different
ways.’’
Yet again at the University of
Saskatchewan in 1999 (Canadian Journal of Veterinary
Research v. 63, pp. 262-8) scientists studied beta
glucan but this time on beef steers. They used the stand
“OBG” extract from oats. They got varied results with
different groups but the most interesting result was
when the steers had the immune systems suppressed with
dexamethasone the glucan overcame this very effectively.
Very sophisticated parameters were
measured including serum antibody responses, serum IgG
(immunoglobin G) levels, blastogenic responses of blood
lymphocytes, differential blood leukocytes as well as
iron and zinc levels in the blood. They said, “When
cells or animals were treated with dexamethasone, OBG
significantly restored some of the specific and
non-specific immune parameters studied.”
At the National Institute of Public
Health in Oslo in 2000 (FEMS Immunology Medical
Microbiology v. 27, pp. 111 6) doctors studied fungal
beta glucan against deadly Strepococcus pneumoniae, a
potent pneumonia strain.
They called their beta glucan extract
“SSG”. They said, “The data demonstrate that SSG
administered systemically protects against pneumococcal
infection in mice.” Of course you can’t ethically give
one group of humans beta glucan and not to another group
and then infect them both with deadly pneumonia, but
there is no reason to doubt that this would also protect
humans just as well.
They later verified these results
(Current Medicinal Chemistry v. 2, 2003, pp. 135-46) and
said, “Thus, in the future, biologically active
polysaccharides that stimulate the innate immune system,
may prove to be useful alternative compounds in the
fight against respiratory tract and other infections.”
Anthrax is not the most effective
biowarfare agent for the simple reason it is not
communicable as are such infectious agents as smallpox
and Dengue Fever. Nevertheless it is still widely used
in warfare. Two studies show the effectiveness of beta
glucan in protecting us against anthrax.
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An article in Medscape General
Medicine (v. 5, 2003) was on mice given oral beta glucan
in their drinking water before being injected with
Bacillus anthracis spores. The ones given the glucan
fared far better than the ones who weren’t. “These
results demonstate the potential for beta 1,3 glucan
immune modulators to provide a significant degree of
protection against anthrax, a potential biological
warfare agent.”
Another study in the Journal of the
American Neutraceutical Association (spring 2002) was
about the Canadian Department of Defense study. Mice
were given oral yeast beta glucan and then injected with
anthrax spores. “This important scientific contribution
demonstrates the potential benefits of this
nutraceutical product against the bioterrorism agent
anthrax.”
The University of Strathclyde in
Glascow did a fine review on animal and human studies
with beta glucan International Journal of Medicinal
Mushrooms v. 5, 2003, pp. 95-110). In addition to the
proven immune enhancement benefits they said, “Recent
research has also shown that some of these
mushroom-derived polymers may possess direct cytotoxic
effects on cancer cells.” Soon we will be studying beta
glucan for treating various forms of cancer naturally.
Over two dozen clinical studies done
at well known research facilities over the world and
published in top scientific journals should convince you
this is the most potent immune potentiating substance
known to science. It is safe, natural, effective and
inexpensive with no known side effects. You will see
more studies done on humans to verify what we know about
animal research.
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Chapter 3: Tumors - Benign and Malignant
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Of all the many studies on the various
powers of beta glucan it was surprising how many
concerned tumors and cancer. It is not just macrophages
here that attack tumors, but also natural killer cells
(NK), killer T cells, lymphokines and interleukin-1 and
– 2. All these scientific terms just refer to the
various processes we have to attack tumor cells and
destroy them.
There are literally dozens of studies
on the anti-tumor properties of beta glucan just in the
last fifteen years, and we’ll try to mention as many as
possible. Journal references will not be given for
simplicity and brevity here.
Most of the work was done in Japan
with various types of mushrooms and fungi, but they were
all true 1,3 beta glucans. The same effectiveness would
be obtained from yeast, oat and barley glucans.
Science has known about the anti
cancer and anti-tumor power of beta glucan for over
fifteen years now and it is time to start using these on
real people.
At Kobe Women’s College in Japan
maitake mushroom (Grifola frondosa) beta glucan showed
clear anti-tumor effect against both MM-46 and IMC
carcinomas (these simply refer to the type of cancer
strains) in mice.
Again at the Kobe Women’s College beta
glucan from Cochliobolus mushroom inhibited the growth
of Sarcoma 180 (the most popular strain) solid tumors in
mice. At the Study Center for Nuclear Energy in Belgium
Lentinus mushroom (Lentinus edodes) beta glucan arrested
lymphoma cells in the blood of mice.
At Kobe University in the same city
four mushroom (G. frondosa, L. edodes, F. velutipes, and
M. giganteus)) extracts containing beta glucan were
studied for their anti-tumor activity. “We demonstrated
that those polysaccharides had high levels of
immunomodulating activity.”
Very sophisticated parameters such as
TNF-alpha, GGF antibodies, and NO (nitrous oxide) were
carefully measured in the test animals. Studies like
this will lead to beta glucan being studied in human
cancer patients.
At the Tokyo University of Pharmacy in
Japan maitake beta glucan had anti-tumor activity
against MM-46 and “syngenic” tumorsin general.
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Again, at the Tokyo College of
Pharmacy beta glucan from Sclerotinia mushroom was shown
to be effective against Sarcoma 180 solid tumors in
mice. They called this extract “SSG” and said, “SSG is a
useful antitumor glucan which modifies biological
responses.”
A third study at this college with SSG
extract found more proof of antitumor activity. A fourth
study at this college used the same SSG extract, but
this time against pulmonary metastasis or lung cancer
using Lewis lung carcinoma implanted cells in mice. In
just 10 days the lung cancer cells were inhibited even
when the SSG was simply placed in their daily feed.
A fifth study used the same “OL”
extract from Omphalia or “leiwan” mushroom and said,
“OL-2 showed characteristic features regarding its
physiochemical properties and antitumor activity.” Later
at the same university a beta glucan extract of the
mushroom S. crispa was shown to have powerful antitumor
activity when given to mice orally. “Administration of
CA1 (extract) modulated the recovery rate of each
population.”
At the University of Regensburg in
Germany beta glucan extracted from Phytophthora
mushrooms was effective against Sarcoma 180 solid tumors
in mice. Again, at the University of Regensburg beta
glucans were taken from various fungi and used
successfully again Sarcoma 180 solid tumors in mice.
They found that all were very potent in this regardless
of the source. Tumor weights were reduced 72-99 percent
in only thirty days with no other treatments!
A third study was done here using an
extract of the Glomerella mushroom with the impressive
result that 100 percent of both Sarcoma l80 and MC.SC-1
(another basic cancer strain) fibrosarcoma tumors were
inhibited. They stressed, “that a highly ordered
structure of the glucan is not essential for the
antitumor activity.”
A review of beta glucans in general
was done in Germany at Georg-August University. This
review studied the various sources, structures, effects
on the immune system and clinical application for their
extensive antitumor properties.
At the Research Institute for Life
Sciences in Japan Cordyceps mushroom beta glucan was
studied for antitumor activity and the structure
compared for biological response.
As usual the 1,3 configuration was the
basic consideration making it a true beta glucan.
Another study with lung cancer cells was done at the
world famous Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. In only fourteen
days the lung cancer growth was measurably inhibited and
the mice given the beta glucan were alive while the
untreated mice were dying.
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At Osaka City University in Japan the
well known reishimushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) was used
as a source for beta glucan and tested for antitumor
activity. As usual, the researchers stressed the basic
true 1,3 backbone structure and not the 1,4 or 1,6
branching. They found this to be very powerful against
Sarcoma 180 solid tumors in mice.
Nearby at the University of Osaka a
review was done complete with fifty-four different
references on the many studies done on antitumor
activity, the structures, mechanisms of action and
clinical applications.
Poria cocos is a classic Chinese
mushroom that has been used in their herbal tradition
for many centuries. It is also known as hoelen or fu
ling. At the University of Wuhan in China beta glucan
was extracted from Poria and studied to see how it
inhibited both Sarcoma 180 and Ehrlich (another strain)
carcinoma. They were very successful in treating both of
these in mice.
At the University of Shizuoka in Japan
beta glucan from reishi, maitake and plain agaricus
(common edible) mushrooms were all compared for
antitumor activity. The standard procedure of using mice
with implanted Sarcoma 180 solid tumors was used for
consistency and the usual success was found.
A second study at this university this
time used an extract from Polyporus mushrooms for their
source of beta glucan. They found the same basic
antitumor power in this mushroom as well.
At the Tokyo Metropolitan Research Lab
in Japan beta glucan was extracted from Omphalia
lapidescens fungi, which they called “OL” extracts.
They compared the various structures
of the extracts and used them in Sarcoma 180 solid
tumors in mice and found strong antitumor activity
regardless of the 1,4 or 1,6 branching as long at the
basic structure was 1,3 configuration.
A second study at this laboratory used
the same OL extracts and found more proof of antitumor
activity using the same mice and same cancer strain.
The Japanese government granted patent
#JP 03,133,934 in 1991 for using Polyphorus confluens
mushroom beta glucan for antitumor activity in general
due to the studies that were done on animals proving its
value repeatedly.
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The international patent authority
approved WO 98 27,992 in 1998 for Agaricus blazei
(common edible) mushroom beta glucan for it’s general
antitumor effects especially against solid cancers. The
Japanese government later granted patent #JP10 287,284
in 1998 for using beta glucan generally which inhibits
tumor growth by activating natural killer cells.
At Joseph Fourier University in France
beta glucan from Laetisaria (a Basidiomycete mushroom)
was studied in the usual Sarcoma 180 solid tumors in
mice. “The polysaccharide strongly inhibited tumor
growth with an inhibition ratio of almost 100 percent.”
To have this kind of success is incredible.
At the National Cancer Institute
Research Center in Japan researchers used an extract of
the fungus Hypsizigus marmoreus for their beta glucan
against both Sarcoma 180 and the syngenic Meth A
fibrosarcoma (another strain). They found this to be
effective for both, but especially for the Sarcoma 180
malignancy.
At Christian-Albrechts University in
Germany an extract of the Pythium mushroom was used as
the source of beta glucan. They said that a mere hot
water extract given orally, “exhibited strong activity
against Sarcoma 180 in CD-1 (a specific type of) mice.”
At the Tokyo University Pharmacy three
different kinds of fungal glucans were used for a total
of ten weeks (five weeks before implanting tumors and
five weeks after) in mice to effectively inhibit Sarcoma
180 solid tumors.
At the University of Louisville in
Kentucky a review with multiple references was done on
the studies of beta glucan on tumors and cancer. This is
written in very sophisticated and scientific terms, but
in plain English they suggest using beta glucan as
cancer therapy in humans in 1999 due to the many years
of animal studies.
Doctors like this deserve a lot of
credit. Soon they will be helping real people cure
cancer naturally. However, the vast majority of
physicians are not going to use inexpensive, natural
remedies no matter how well they work for cancer or any
other disease.
At the Eishogen Research Center in
Japan mushroom glucan “showed marked antitumor
activities against Sarcoma 180” in mice. Peritoneal
macrophages (these attack tumors) multiplied strongly.
There is no reason this won’t show the same results in
humans when such studies are finally done and published
in the near future.
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The famous Sloan-Kettering Cancer
Institute actually filed for a patent to use beta glucan
alone or to potentiate cancer vaccines in treating
cancer patients. “Antitumor antibody-enhancing glucan”
was the patent title. They claim glucan enhances the
efficacy of our natural antibodies and strengthens our
immune system.
“It was shown that beta glucans
greatly enhanced the antitumor effects of monoclonal
antibodies against established tumors in mice.” They are
looking ahead to soon using this in humans obviously.
Sloan Kettering published a study on
mice (Cancer Immunology Immunotherapy v. 51, 2002, pp.
557-64) demonstrating the anti-tumor effects of oral
glucans.“ Given the favorable efficacy and toxicity
profile or oral beta glucan treatment, the role of
natural products that contain beta glucan in cancer
treatment as an enhancer of the effect of monoclonal
antibody therapy deserves further study.”
At the National Research Institute in
Cairo mushroom glucan was found to have strong
anti-tumor acitivity in mice. “Treatment of mice-
bearing solid Ehrlich carcinoma with a sublethal dose of
mycelial polysaccharides increased significantly the
percent of survivors and the cumulative mean survival
time of the treated animals, compared to tumored
controls and recorded a tumor inhibition ratio (T/C%) of
87.67 percent.” More powerful anticancer activity
clearly demonstrated.
In these many studies you can see that
beta glucan has proven and powerful antitumor and
anticancer activity. After almost two decades of
overwhelming proof with animal studies it is time to use
beta glucan on real people in clinical studies.
Any individual can choose to use beta
glucan with traditional medical treatments or with other
natural healing methods especially diet, supplements,
hormone balancing, exercise and fasting. We still need
human studies published in the medical journals to prove
objectively that this is something that should be
routinely used by anyone with benign or malignant tumors
and cancerous growths.
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Chapter 4: Your Cholesterol and Heart
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It has been well known to scientists
for over two decades now that beta glucan has very
strong cholesterol and triglyceride lowering properties.
Many of these studies were done on test animals for a
long time before humans were used. This is the usual
progression of events in clinical studies to make sure a
supplement actually works and is safe. Additionally,
animal studies are much less expensive to perform.
Two hundred and sixty-eight men and
women with high cholesterol were given oat beta glucan
in a study at the Chicago Center for Clinical Research
(Journal of Nutrition v. 133, 2003, pp. 808-13).
“Results of this randomized, double-blind trial
demonstrate that subjects with mild to moderate
hypercholestemia can reduce their LDL and total
cholesterol levels by consuming a group of phytosterol
and beta glucan containing foods as part of a diet low
in saturated fat and cholesterol.” This is real life
evidence we don’t need expensive, toxic, dangerous
statin drugs to lower blood fats.
At the Technical Research Institute in
Kawagoe, Japan (Nippon Eiyo Shokuryo v. 44, 1991, pp.
455-60) obese rats with high cholesterol were given both
oat and barley beta glucan to effectively lower their
cholesterol levels. Another study done there (Journal of
Nutritional Science and Vitaminology v. 40, 1994. pp.
213-17) more rats were given oat and barley beta glucan
and some were given guar gum. All were effective in
improving blood lipid profiles.
The same journal in 2003 (v. 49, pp.
381-7) published a study from Changwon University in
Korea. Rats were again given barley beta glucan
decreased serum cholesterol up to 18 percent with no
other changes.
At the University of California in
Davis (Journal of Food Science v. 60, 1995, p. 558-60)
oat beta glucan was given to hypercholesteremic rats,
which lowered their levels in only four weeks by adding
it to their feed.
At the Montana Agricultural Station in
Bozeman (Nutrition Research v. 17, 1997, pp. 77-88)
hamsters were fed barley beta glucan in a double blind
study and their cholesterol was lowered within 30 days.
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At the Technical Research Center in
Espoo, Finland (Cereal Chemistry v.69, 1992, pp.647-53)
more rats with high cholesterol were given oat beta
glucan to successfully lower their cholesterol. Another
study there (British Journal of Nutrition v. 70, 1993,
pp. 767-76) rats with high cholesterol were given oat
beta glucan in a classic double blind study where even
the scientists didn’t know which rats were getting the
supplement. The oat supplement not only lowered their
cholesterol, but also raised their desirable highdensity
cholesterol.
At the West Research Center in Albany,
California (Cereal Chemistry v. 70, 1993, pp. 435-40)
hamsters with high cholesterol were given oat and barley
beta glucan to lower their blood lipids in only
twenty-one days.
The human studies leave no doubt that
the animal studies apply equally to real people. At
Syracuse University in New York (Journal of the American
Dietary Association v. 90, 1990, pp. 223- 9) seventy-one
men and women with hypercholesteremia were given various
combinations of low fat diets with and without oat beta
glucan supplements.
The people on glucan not only lowered
their cholesterol up to 17 percent but most all of them
raised their levels of beneficial high-density
cholesterol. The 17 percent figure is very dramatic.
This shows the power of using better food choices along
with your supplements.
At the University of Ottawa (European
Journal of Clinical Nutrition v. 48, 1994, pp. 465-74)
hypercholesterolemic men and women were given oat beta
glucan, which reduced their total and LDL cholesterol
with no change in diet or exercise. This was a double
blind study where the placebo group received no
benefits.
At the University of Wisconsin
(Hepatology v. 20, 1993, pp. 1450-7) men with NORMAL
cholesterol levels were given oat bran containing glucan
and still lowered their cholesterol significantly with
no change in diet! This is nothing less than amazing.
At Harvard Medical School in
Massachusetts (Critical Reviews in Food Science and
Nutrition v. 39, 1999, pp. 189-202) doctors found that
both oat and yeast derived beta glucans lowered serum
cholesterol levels without any change in diet or
exercise.
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There was no use of drugs, which you
would expect at a school of medicine. In their words,
“In addition to decreasing the intake of total fat,
saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, blood serum
cholesterol can be further decreased by dietary fiber,
especially from sources rich in beta glucan such as oats
and yeast.” To their credit they do very much suggest
low fat diets with little animal fat or cholesterol
instead of toxic, expensive prescription drugs.
Doctors like this deserve a lot of
praise for studying natural ways and natural supplements
to cure disease.
At the University of Massachusetts
(American Journal of Clinical Nutrition v. 70, 1999, pp.
208-12) researchers studied obese men with high
cholesterol levels. They gave them yeast based beta
glucan but made no changes in their diet or exercise. In
only eight weeks cholesterol had fallen 8 percent and
their harmful low density cholesterol levels had also
fallen 8 percent. They summarized their findings, “Thus,
the yeast derived beta glucan fiber lowered the total
cholesterol concentrations and was well tolerated”.
In the same journal in 2003 (v. 78,
pp. 221-7) a study from Maastricht University in the
Netherlands was published. This time both men and women
with high cholesterol were given the glucans. This
generally improved their blood lipid profile in several
ways including lowering their LDL cholesterol.
A third study in the journal in 2202
(v. 75, pp. 834-9) at St. Michaels Hospital in Toronto
was published. Adults with high cholesterol were fed a
low fat diet or a low fat diet with beta glucan. The
glucan group not only lowered their cholesterol and
blood pressure, but improved their cardiovascular risk
as equated by the Framingham Risk Equation (the largest
ongoing CHD study in history.)
At the United States Human Nutrition
Research Center in Maryland (Journal of Nutrition and
Biochemistry v. 8, 1997, pp. 497-501) people were given
oat extracts high in beta glucan content and lowered
their blood fats with no change in diet or exercise.
They studied these people further and found some rather
remarkable beneficial changes in their metabolism after
just a few weeks on beta glucan supplements. For one
thing they found their dietary fat was not oxidized as
much as usual which is desirable. New benefits of this
are constantly being discovered.
Again at the Human Nutrition Center
(Journal of the American College of Nutrition v.16,
1997, pp. 46-51) men and women with high blood lipid
levels were given oat extracts high in beta glucan.
After only five weeks the groups were switched and those
previously getting the oat extract received only the
typical American high fat diet everyone was maintained
on.
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At the end of the study it was shown
that when each group got the beta glucan both their
total cholesterol levels and low-density cholesterol
levels decreased significantly. In their words, “A
significant dose response due to beta glucan
concentration in the oat extract was observed in the
total cholesterol levels.”
When you have such thorough double
blind studies at prestigious research centers where
people are given a high fat diet with no exercise, there
is no doubt about the powerful effects of beta glucan on
real people.
Earlier in 1992 in the same journal
(v. 11, pp. 651-9) the University of Kuopio in Finland
studied people with high blood lipids. They were given
oat bran with glucans for eight weeks with good results.
To have such human studies shows there are doctors who
are sincerely interested in natural medicine.
At Industrial Research Limited in New
Zealand (Carbohydrate Polymers v. 29, 1996, pp. 7-10)
researchers used barley derived glucan to try and
discover the actual metabolic mechanisms by which it
lowered blood fats.
They wanted to understand just how
beta glucan affects the various organs of the body to
eliminate blood fats rather than let them build up. They
first discovered that it increased the secretion of bile
acids from the gall bladder. These bile acids are
important in keeping cholesterol and triglycerides at
healthy levels.
They used highly sophisticated NMR
(nuclear magnetic resonance) techniques and found the
bile acid process was only part of the story. The
mechanisms at work are much more complicated than mere
enhanced gall bladder activity.
This shows the more we learn the less
we know, and the important thing is that beta glucan is
a powerful normalizer of blood fats. We may never
clearly understand the actual means by which it works.
At the University of Lund in Sweden
(Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism v. 43, 1999, pp.
301-9) mildly hypercholesterolemic men and women were
given oat milk, which was high in beta glucan content in
their diets for five weeks.
This was a classic double blind study,
and half of the men got rice milk, which contains no
beta glucan. The men drinking the oat milk lowered their
total cholesterol as well as their low density
cholesterol levels, while the men drinking the rice milk
did not. They said, “It is concluded that oat milk has
cholesterol reducing properties.”
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High blood pressure or hypertension is
epidemic now in all western societies. Hypertension is
one of the leading causes of death in both men and
women. Eating a whole grain oat cereal containg beta
glucan was shown to help lower blood pressure at the
University of Minnesota (Journal of Family Practice,
v.51, 2002, pp. 353-9).
“Whole oats, when supplemented daily,
significantly reduced antihypertensive medication need
and improved blood pressure control over the twelve week
intervention. Whole oats improved blood lipid and
fasting glucose levels and reduced the incidence of
overall study-related side effects.
Significantly increasing whole oat
consumption may greatly reduce risk for cardiovascular
disease in hypertensive patients.”
Worldwide studies like this on real
people in research clinics and hospitals leave no doubt
that beta glucan is a safe, effective, proven, powerful
and inexpensive way to lower cholesterol and improve
blood lipid profiles. There is every reason to use
natural methods like this rather than dangerous,
expensive drugs with serious side effects.
Some of these statin drugs have been
removed from the market after too many people died from
taking them. Is there any reason to believe the others
are any safer?
Unfortunately, most people have never
even heard of beta glucan much less take it every day.
Most drug stores, health food stores and vitamin
companies don’t even sell it, and most of the brands
offered are either weak and/or overpriced.
You can read my book Lower Your
Cholesterol without Drugs. In it the “cornerstone”
program for reducing cholesterol includes five different
natural supplements. In addition to 200mg of beta
glucan, you can take 1-2 grams of flax oil (instead of
fish oil), 300-600mg of beta sitosterol, and 40mg of soy
isoflavones (genestein and daidzein).
The fifth supplement is guggul gum,
which is an Ayurvedic herb extracted from the Commiphora
tree. Take 250mg of a reliable guggul extract with 10%
sterones to give you 25mg of actual sterones per day.
This is “exogenous” (not found in our bodies or in
common food), so only take it for six months as it will
not be effective after that.
If you take these five “cornerstone”
supplements you can even lower genetically high
cholesterol levels without diet or exercise. With better
food choices and simply walking every day your
improvements can be much more dramatic. Remember that
natural health means a natural lifestyle and especially
a natural diet.
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Chapter 5: Rejuvenate Your Skin
Independent Beta
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Beta glucan has very powerful topical
effects on your skin especially on your face. This has
been known about for over fifteen years now, but no one
has put out a cream with realistic amounts of beta
glucan until very recently. This author put out a fine
cream with one quarter of 1 percent (0.25%) oat derived
beta glucan back in 1994. This was taken to the largest
U.S. natural food and drug trade shows but was never
commercially successful. The reason it wasn’t a full one
per cent cream was due to the gumminess of the oat beta
glucan. This was due to the high cost and low percent of
the raw beta glucan until about 1999.
It is still very difficult to find a
REAL beta glucan cream with one percent oat or yeast
glucans. If you will search the Internet you will find
one or two. Make sure they clearly state their creams
contain at least one per cent (600mg per 2 ounce jar).
If they refuse to state how much or contain less than
that, don’t buy it.
Back in 1987 a beta glucan cream was
put out from yeast and heavily promoted with magazine
ads but it contained a useless 10 mg (one thirtieth on
one percent!) of yeast glucans per ounce. This was
chemically and biologically useless and, of course,
people got no benefits from it.
Finally, you can find a real one
percent (1.0%) cream inexpensively due to the wonders of
the Internet and the advancement in extraction
technology.
We have already spoken of macrophages.
Macrophages are in your skin and are activated by
topical beta glucan just as the internal macrophages
are. Our skin is not just a covering for our body- it is
the largest organ of the body (the liver is second) and
the most important organ for our immune systems. The
outer layer or epidermis contains about five per cent
macrophages. These cells stop the growth of dangerous
microbes and produce something called “epidermal growth
factor” which stimulates renewal of skin cells.
Most of the studies done on topical
uses have been done by private cosmetic and
pharmaceutical companies and not published. They realize
the profit potential here and want to patent and protect
any discoveries they make. Therefore most of this
chapter depends on patents they have registered.
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You’ll see in the following studies
that some of the largest cosmetic companies in the world
are involved in this. We need more published human
studies on topical uses, especially for wound healing
and reducing aging and wrinkles in the skin. Until we
get those studies just use a good beta glucan cream on
your face for a year and you’ll see the results you
want.
In 1987 Bio Bi Daimaru Company in
Japan was given patent #JP62,205,008 for a beta glucan
cream from Aureobacidium. In 1991 Kanebo Limited in
Japan was granted patent #JP 03,167,109 for their beta
glucan cream from Macrophomopsis species. In 1992
Ichimaru Pharcos K.K. Company in Japan was granted
patent #JP 04 59,715 for their beta glucan cream
extracted from Euglena. In 1996 Noevir K.K. Company in
Japan was granted patent #JP 08,291,01 for their beta
glucan from any source.
There is a class of patents granted in
the European Union called PCT International patents. The
famous and huge conglomerate Ciba-Geigy A.G. Corporation
was granted WO 95 22,310 patent in 1994 for a beta
glucan cream containing “0.05-3.0 percent” glucans from
Schizophylllium species. 0.05 percent is a mere one
twentieth of one per cent so let’s hope Ciba-Geigy uses
at least l percent in whatever cream they eventually put
out, as it is not on the market as of 2004. That such a
large corporation has researched and patented a beta
glucan is prima facie proof of its value.
Another PCT patent was granted in
France in 1996 #WO 96 28,008 for “controlling skin
ageing and/or increasing skin elasticity”.
At the famous ROC Corporation who has
been promoting retinol creams worldwide they were
granted WO 98 17,246 in 1996 for a beta glucan cream.
They only call for a 0.5 percent (half of one percent)
beta glucan from unspecified sources, instead of a real
1.0 percent cream.
The very successful Shaklee
international multilevel marketing corporation was
granted WO 99 33,439 in 1999 and then granted a United
States patent as well for their beta glucan cream. They
claim that their cream “increases the cellular viability
of epidermal cells”, and that it “decreases the
production of inflammatory mediators” as well as
“protecting the skin from the adverse effects of UV
radiation”.
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This is a successful company that
knows what it is doing and would not spend the time and
money on beta glucan cream if they didn’t have good
reason to see it as a major success.
The even larger firm of S.C. Johnson
and Company was granted WO99 27,904 in 1999. An
international mega-corporation this large would not
invest their time and money into patenting something
unless they had very good research to show its value.
Another very big international player
is the Novogen Research Limited in Australia. They were
granted WO99 36,050 in 1999 for their glucan cream. They
claim their product “protects the skin from UV induced
erythema, photoaging, and premalignant and malignant
skin cancers.” These are obviously strong claims to be
granted in a PCT patent.
The very successful Henkel
Kommanditgesellschaft Corporation in Germany was granted
WO98 40,082 in 1998 for their therapeutic glucan cream.
They claimed, “These substances strengthen the immune
system of the skin, counteract wrinkling and can be used
to prevent scaling and psoriasis.” Rather impressive
claims obviously.
Brennen Medical Incorporated was
granted WO99 21,531 in 1999 for “healing treatment of
burns and wounds and scarring therefrom”. This shows the
healing power for people who have been seriously hurt
and want to heal faster and avoid scars.
At Alpha-Beta Technology, Incorporated
in the U.S. a patent was granted in 1996 #5,488,040 for
a beta glucan cream. This was a very sophisticated and
complete patent.
It claimed “Topical application of a
solution of this glucan promoted wound healing in mice
and eliminated experimental wound infection with
Stapholococcus aureus.” Staph infections are notorious
for their hard to treat and deadly nature. This patent
continued in great deal and medical language to explain
the mechanisms of healing.
The German government granted patent
DE 19,901,270 in 1999 to the Pacific Group of South
Korea for their therapeutic glucan cream, which they
said is used, “as an active component in a compound for
external application that can delay skin changes and can
heal and brighten skin.”
The famous Swiss Ciba Specialty
Chemicals division of Ciba-Geigy Corporation was granted
European patent EP 875,244 in 1997 for their glucan
cream but did not make specific claims for its use
surprisingly.
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In 1995 a study was published in the
trade journal Cosmetics and Toiletries (Italy) v. 16,
pp. 54-6. They actually used human subjects to apply
their beta glucan cream to from yeast. They found clear
antiaging properties, maintenance of cell integrity,
improved skin metabolic function and protection against
photoaging (sun damage). We need more studies like this
on real human subjects.
In 1998 a second study was published
from the Canadian company Canamino, who was leading the
world in beta glucan technology and application at the
time (Cosmetics and Toiletries v. 113, pp. 45-50). They
use oat-derived glucans to repair of skin from
environmental damage from UV radiation, pollution,
smoke, bacteria and free radicals.
In the Slovakian journal Farmacie
Obzor in 1997 (v. 66, pp. 119-23) researchers used beta
glucan from Pleurotus mushrooms. They applied a solution
of this topically to mice and found “significant
stimulation of defense mechanisms….increased phagocyte
activity….higher microbiological activity of peritoneal
macrophages and other very powerful effects. This was a
very well done and very impressive study proving the
specific mechanisms on the skin of live mice.
In 1997 the trade digest SOFW Journal
in Germany two articles were published in the 123rd
volume (pp. 535-8 and 542-6).
The first one was from Mibelle A.B.
Biochemistry in Switzerland who used topical glucan to
protect skin from UV radiation and to promote the growth
of keratinocytes (growth cells) in humans and enhanced
the immune system of the skin generally.
The second one was from Verlag fur
Chemische Industrie in Germany. They extracted 1,3 beta
glucans from a variety of sources including yeast and
various mushroom and fungi. They found these to be
effective regardless of the source in topical
preparations for human skin to protect and regenerate
the cells.
In the trade publication International
Journal of Cosmetic Science in 1998 (v. 20, pp. 79-86)
Mibelle AG Cosmetics in Switzerland studied glucan
creams on people to report the effects. They said these
“are involved in the activation of the body’s natural
defense systems and in the acceleration of the skin’s
wound healing processes. In placebo controlled studies
on real people they proved various benefits including
protecting the skin from UV sun damage.
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There are many other health benefits
from taking beta glucan daily as a supplement in
addition to what we have already covered. There will be
many more discovered as time goes on. Right now we have
studies on such areas as diabetes and blood sugar,
ulcers, the qualities of our blood, digestion of our
food, protection from radiation and other positive
effects on our bodies.
The most impressive of these is the
effect on our blood sugar levels and diabetes.
If you have diabetes you should
consider taking at least 200mg a day of beta glucan
(400mg the first year) along with other supplements such
as lipoic acid, CoQ10, and a complete mineral
supplement.
You can also take all fruit, fruit
juice, dried fruit and any sweetener out of your diet
including honey, molasses and maple syrup. Sugar is
sugar. Please read my “Zen Macrobiotics for Americans”
for more information on this.
At the University of Lausanne
(European Journal of Clinical Nutrition v. 55, 2001, pp
327-33,) beta glucan was given to healthy men.
Administration of soluble fibers (guar
gum, beta glucan) together with a mixed meal is known to
decrease postprandial (after meal) glucose and insulin
concentrations.
“The lowered postprandial glucose
concentrations which are observed after ingestion of a
single meal containing beta glucan are essentially due
to a delayed and somewhat reduced carbohydrate
absorption from the gut and do not result from effects
of fermentation products in the colon.”
At the University of Toronto (European
Journal of Clinical Nutrition v. 56, 2002, pp. 622-8)
beta glucan was given to humans. “Addition of beta
glucan predictably reduces the glycemic index while
maintaining palatability…making it a useful functional
food component for reducing postprandial (after meals)
glycemia.
This means it helps normalize blood
sugar levels and keep them from rising after eating.
This has important implications in diabetes and other
blood sugar disorders.
Diabetic men and women, as well as men
with prostate cancer were given mushroom beta glucan at
New York Medical College (International Journal of
Medicinal Mushrooms v. 4, 2002, pp. 185-95).
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The study reported, ”patients with
type 2 diabetes under oral medication demonstrated
improved glycemic levels with G. frondosa
polsysaccharide caplets containing active SX (glucan)
fraction.
One patient showed complete glycemic
control with MPCs and is currently free of medications,
whereas others showed over 30 percent decline in their
serum glucose levels with MPCs in 2-4 weeks.
Therefore, polysaccharides of G.
fondosa may have therapeutic implications in the
effective treatments of prostate cancer (anticancer
activity) and type 2 diabetes (hypoglycemic action).”
In 1989 at the University of Matsuyama
in Japan (Horumon to Rinsho v. 37, pp. 533-6) doctors
studied the effect on giving beta glucan to insulin
dependent (IDDM) Brattleboro rats. They found that this
inhibited diabetes mellitus and insulinitis. This also
increased the leucocyte count in their blood.
It was studies like this that later
caused doctors to study humans with diabetes and other
blood sugar disorders.
At the University of Laval in Quebec
in 1989 (Canadian Journal of Physiology v. 67, pp.
2265-71) doctors studied oat glucan on the effects on
insulinemia and glycemia in Sprague-Dawley rats.
First of all, they found that giving
them the beta glucan reduced their food intake. Then
they verified that glucose metabolism was improved
generally which they called a “hypoinsulinic action”
which means their insulin was more effective in
controlling the blood levels of glucose (blood sugar).
Further it was discovered that digestive tract function
was improved and this was clearly connected to the
improvement in glucose metabolism. You can expect the
same basic results with humans.
At Ehime University in Japan in 1992
(Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, v. 17, pp.
75-9) doctors again studied rats with diabetes and
insulinitis.
The diabetes rate was lowered from
43.3 percent to only 6.7 percent simply by giving them
mushroom beta glucan (Lentinus edodes) and not other
treatment! The insulinitis rate was lowered from 82.4
percent to only 26.3 percent the same way. Most all of
the rats stayed free from diabetes even when the
supplement was discontinued which shows this was not
merely a palliative but had healed them. Again, their
blood leucocytes were increased making their blood
healthier.
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They concluded, “These data indicate
that immunopotentiators could modulate the autoimmune
mechanisms directed to pancreatic islets and inhibit the
development of diabetes in Brattleboro rats.”
At the University of Mitahora-Higashi
in Japan in 1994 (Carbohydrate Research v. 251, pp.
81-7) researchers studied diabetic mice by giving them
mushroom (Agrocybe) beta glucan. This was simply
extracted with hot water and called AG-HN1.
They concluded, “AG HN1 showed a
remarkable hypoglycemic activity in both normal and
streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice by i.p.
administration (injection).”
It is interesting that they lowered
the plasma glucose levels of both diabetic AND normal
mice. To lower the blood sugar of normal animals with a
natural supplement is rather amazing to say the least.
References were given as to other studies that showed
hypoglycemic activity of beta glucan.
You might be asking yourself if anyone
bothered to take such valuable research into human
research? At the Centre for Food and Animal Research in
Canada in 1994 (Carbohydrate Polymers v. 25, pp. 331-6)
this was finally done.
A review was published with a full 39
references on the ability of oat glucan to moderate the
postprandial blood glucose and insulin response in
humans.
We need more human studies here. The
animal research is clear, and anyone with a blood sugar
metabolism disorder should consider beta glucan and
other proven supplements along with better diet to cure
their condition naturally.
HIV is almost impossible to treat
since it is a manmade disease from the biowarfare labs.
At Kobe University in Japan
(Myoscience v. 41, 2000, pp. 293-5) mushroom beta glucan
was given longterm to men and women who were HIV
positive. Their CD4+ cell counts went up strongly which
shows improved immune response. 85% of them reported an
increased sense of well being with regard to their
symptoms. This is the way to treat such people rather
than with toxic drugs with side effects worse than any
supposed benefits.
Gastric ulcers are rather much of an
epidemic in Western society. Beta glucan has shown
potential to heal these ulcers since it has such a
strong effect on the digestive system in general.
In 1993 at Koshien University in Japan
(Koshien Daigaku Kiyo v. 19, pp. 89-95) studies were
done with barley beta glucan on rats.
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They induced ulcers by water immersion
stress over time and found that by simply feeding them
barley flour high in beta glucan they were very
effectively protected from getting stress ulcers.
Again, at Koshien University in the
same journal later in 1996 (v. 23, pp. 11-17) more rats
were induced to get ulcers by water immersion and more
barley derived glucan was given to them in their diets.
Again, a strong protective effect was found. A third
study at this university in the same journal (v. 26, pp.
19-24) only this time with oat derived glucan found the
same benefits.
We have seen in some of the studies
just mentioned that blood parameters were improved along
with other beneficial effects. The fact that beta glucan
can improve the very quality of our blood is of great
importance obviously.
At the University of Tromso in Norway
more work was done in this area (International
Immunopharmacology v. 2, 2002, pp. 1585-97). Beta glucan
was added to human whole blood cultures.
“Soluble beta glucan has been
demonstrated to protect against infection and shock in
rats and mice, and clinical studies suggest that
administration of soluble glucans to trauma/surgical
human patients decreases septic complications and
improves survival.” Various blood parameters were much
improved with beta glucan in real human blood cultures
here. We need more work done with people instead of just
test animals and human blood cultures.
At the Tokyo College of Pharmacy in
1990 (Pharmacobio- Dynamics v. 3, pp. 525-32)
researchers studied the effects of mushroom (Grifola)
beta glucan on human plasma.
Proper blood clotting is one of the
basic qualities of our circulatory system. If blood
clots too much you end up with clumping that causes
strokes and other problems. If there is insufficient
clotting you can’t stop internal or external bleeding.
It was found that beta glucan
normalized clotting, so this should not affect people on
blood thinners like coumarin.
The researchers found that beta glucan
enhanced the ability of blood to clot normally, to bind
with fibrinogen (which is a desirable trait) and to
“increase the local concentration of the clotting system
by steric exclusion.” This was an excellent eight-page
study complete with twenty-six published references at
one of Japan’s top universities.
At Brigham Women’s Hospital in Boston
in 1994 (Immunology v. 81, pp. 96-102) yeast glucans
were again studied for their effect on human blood.
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The doctors said, “glucocorticoids
enhance monocyte functions mediated by beta glucan
receptors, and this stimulation is dependent on proteins
that are newly synthesized during culture.” This means
that the glucan enhanced the functions of the monocytes
and improved the blood metabolism in general.
Stomach ulcers are all too common in
developed countries and are due to a combination of
stress and poor diet more than anything else.
At Shandong University in China
(Shandong Daxue Xuebao v. 36, 2001, pp. 107-12) ulcers
were caused in mice and rats by giving them irritating
substances. “Beta glucan showed significant antiulcer
activities in dose-response manner on experimental
gastric ulcer models induced by the water-restrictive
stress, ethanol, aspirin, pylorus ligature and acetic
acid in mice or rats. Oral Administration was more
effective than i.p. injection. Antiulcer effect may act
through touching directly to the gastric mucosa and
stimulating the immunocytes.”
This kind of research is tremendously
promising for such a hard to treat condition.
Tuberculosis is still a widespread and
deadly disease around the world especially in agrarian
cultures.
Yeast beta glucan was found to be
effective against TB at the National Institute of Public
Health is Oslo (FEMS Immunology, v. 33, 2002, pages
41-5). Mice were given beta glucan and then infected
with TB bacteria. “The results indicate that beta
glucans inhibit growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in
host cells in vitro, probably due to cellular
stimulation and/or competitive inhibition of uptake of
bacteria.”
Beta glucan is actually effective
against such a powerful, common, and deadly illness as
TB.
United States patent 5,488,040 was
granted in 1996 to Alpha-Beta Technology for the
improvement of blood metabolism.
They claimed that yeast beta glucan
stimulates platelet production in human blood. They made
other claims as to improving the metabolism of blood
including tumor necrosis factor stimulation phagocyte
metabolism, stimulating cytokines and for general
immunology.
They also claimed that topical
application “promoted wound healing”, and, “eliminated
experimental wound infection with Staphalococcus
aureus.” Staph infection is known to be among the most
powerful bacteria and hardest to resist.
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We saw in the discussion of diabetes
that digestion is improved in test animals by giving
them beta glucan. More specific studies were done to
verify this.
In 1995 in the Journal of Nutrition
(v. 125, pp. 947-55) barley glucan was given to
chickens. Poultry farming is a very important industry
in the United States and raising healthy chickens
profitably is literally a multi billion-dollar business.
At the Department of Animal Nutrition
in Spain it was found that feeding the chickens barley
glucan improved their digestive enzymes. They also ate
less and gained less weight.
Now this is not good news for the
poultry industry and they want the broilers to gain as
much weight as possible as quickly as possible for more
profit. However, this is very good news for both healthy
chickens and humans in that you would eat less and gain
less weight on less food, be healthier and live longer.
PCT patent WO98 26,787 was granted in
1998 to the very large firm Gist-Brocades in Australia
for the improvement of intestinal health with beta
glucan.
They discovered very strong
improvement in digestion of test animals by adding this
to their daily feed. These improvements included
enhancing the amount of important Lactobacillus
organisms especially.
This is called a “probiotic effect”
and means the healthy bacteria in our intestines, which
are responsible for digesting our food, are increased.
The Lactobacillus strain is the most important of these
digestive bacteria. They are very deficient in most
Western cultures because of our diets and lifestyles.
This is very promising research.
The Japanese government granted patent
JP 08,157,377 in 1996 for using beta glucan to control
diarrhea. They used mushroom (Aureobasidium) glucan to
effectively control diarrhea especially for raising
commercial animals like cows and pigs.
Another PCT patent was issued in 1992
WO94 04,136 for irritable bowel syndrome, including
diarrhea and constipation in humans. This shows that
many companies around the world realize the value of
beta glucan in many health conditions and are busy
trying to patent their particular product. Every year
you will see more and more such patents.
It is almost impossible to protect
people from the effects of radioactive contamination.
When a nuclear reactor spews uraniumor plutonium mist
into the air, water and soil it contaminates people,
animals and plants.
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Since there is no concentrated nuclear
radiation in nature, this is not a natural condition.
The usual natural means of cure are therefore rarely
effective. Beta glucan has been shown to help in
resisting the effects of such nuclear damage.
In Belgium at the Center for Nuclear
Energy in 1988 (Pharmacology Therapy v. 39, pp. 255-9)
researchers found that yeast beta glucan protected mice
against the effects of x-radiation. When mice were
irradiated and given beta glucan supplements their bone
marrow stem cells resisted the effects and they had a
much higher survival rate than the mice not given the
supplements.
At the same facility in Belgium in the
same journal (pp. 189-93) they also studied mice given
whole body irradiation with and without beta glucan
supplementation. They studied their general health
including gastrointestinal function and blood parameters
and found that the supplemented mice successfully
resisted the radiation much more than the unsupplemented
mice.
At the Armed Forces Radiobiological
Research Institute in Maryland in 1988 (Comments on
Toxicology v. 2, pp.217-31) mice were irradiated and
given a variety of supplements to see which protected
them the most. The beta glucan supplements were most
effective and the mice were analyzed for other metabolic
functions. They concluded, “the results indicate the
potential use of immunomodulators for protection against
acute radiation injury…”
At the Czech Academy of Science in
1991 radioprotective benefits of glucans were again
studied on mice. They found increased recovery and
increased survival in the mice given the supplements
(Folia Biologica v. 37, pp. 117-24).
At the University of Bratislava in
Slovakia in 1986 (Methods and Findings of Experiemental
and Clinical Pharmacology v. 8, pp. 163-6) it was shown
that yeast beta glucan increased the macrophage activity
of guinea pigs. It was also shown that superoxide
activity was increased.
Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is one of
the basic antioxidant enzymes we have that fight free
radicals. SOD falls as we age and free radicals become
much more effective and harmful. They said, “Macrophages
from guinea pigs treated with glucans exerted an
increased ability to reduce INT and to produce
superoxide.” Impressive.
At the Laboratory for Biological and
Cellular Molecules in France in 1989 (Reproduction and
Nutritional Development v. 29, pp. 139-46) yeast beta
glucan was given to sheep as well as barley beta glucan.
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They found that these stimulated
hormone secretion especially valuable growth hormone.
They found that this actually increased milk production
in the ewes making them more valuable and healthier at
the same time. It is very difficult and expensive to
increase the production of growth hormone and this is
basic to how long we live and how healthy we are.
At the famous Mayo Clinic in Minnesota
in 1993 (Immunological Letters v. 37, pp. 19-25) doctors
found that tumor necrosis factor activity was enhanced
in test animals by yeast beta glucan.
Tumor necrosis factor is a potent
cytokine or protein that is necessary to resist and kill
and both benign and malignant tumor cells. This
prevented the death of animals challenged with deadly
bacteria.
They said, “The authors therefore
hypothesized that beta glucan might regulate TNF (tumor
necrosis factor) secretion from macrophages in response
to liposaccharide (LPS)”. They went on to say that,
“these data suggest an immuno-modulatory role of beta
glucan which may explain both the TNF stimulating and
inhibited effects of fungal beta glucans during
infection.”
At the Tokyo College Pharmacy that has
been doing so much research on glucans they also studied
TNF in 1995 (Biology and Pharmacy Bulletin v. 18, pp.
126-33). Mushroom (Grifola) glucan was given to mice and
elevated the LPS, which stimulated TNF production. This
occurred within two hours and lasted a full three weeks.
More verification of the means by
which glucans fight tumors. This short list of benefits
is only the beginning. More and more we’ll discover new
benefits for taking this wondrous substance that is
found in our everyday food.
This should be one of the most
important supplements you take for a long and healthy
life.
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