Beta Glucan - Powerful Immune Modulator
When it comes to your health, the best defense is a good offense. Meet your new quarterback: Beta Glucan. Beta Glucan offers stellar immune support by helping facilitate phagocytosis, or your body's ability to engulf, or ‘swallow,’ foreign cells and particles. Pretty cool, eh?
We chose an insoluble yeast-based source for our Beta Glucan, in contrast to soluble sources such as oat, barley or mushroom. In layman’s terms, insolubility means our Beta Glucan is able to pass through your stomach and small intestine and into your lymphatic system via the machophages. Once in your lymphatic system, beta glucan is taken up by other immune cells that start releasing cytokines and jump-starting your immune system. In other words, yeast-based beta glucan doesn’t get absorbed along the way, which means it’s fully potent and ready to fight the good fight for you when and where it’s needed most.
The multi-faceted Beta Glucan can help you protect your health on multiple fronts. Here are 3 (count em!) excellent reasons to consider adding Beta Glucan to your daily regimen.
1. Strengthens Overall Immune Function – Known as a biological response modifier, beta glucan has the ability to activate your immune system proactively. Studies with both humans and animals support the efficacy of beta glucan in increasing the reaction rate of the immune system to challenges.
From the common cold, fungi, and parasites to more serious ailments, beta glucan may be among you immune system's best allies.
2. Supports Heart Health & Normal Cholesterol Levels – It is widely agreed in medical circles, and a myriad of medical studies support this, that beta glucan can support healthy total cholesterol and LDL (or “bad”) cholesterol. In fact, Heatlhline.com gives Beta Glucan an "A" for supporting healthy cholesterol levels. Beta glucan may also promote heart health by helping to maintain blood pressure.
3. Supports Healthy Blood Sugar Levels – The December 2008 issue of Vascular Health Risk Management concluded that dietary intake of beta glucan helped support healthy blood glucose and lipid levels.(1) There are numerous other studies that offer promising results on the role beta glucan might play in supporting healthy blood sugar levels.
For best results, take beta glucan on an empty stomach first thing in the morning and wait an hour before eating. Seldom has one supplement done so much for so many! Join us in welcoming Beta Glucan to the Co-op family.
Notes:
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Beta Glucan has been deemed as GRAS (generally regarded as safe) by the FDA and has no known contradictions, side effects, or toxicity.
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Although not well studied in humans, caution is advised for the co-use of aspirin and/or NSAIDs with Beta Glucan as severe gastrointestinal damage may result.
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Beta Glucan is not recommended for pregnant or breast-feeing woman
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Caution is advised for use with AIDS or AIDS-related complex (ARC) patients as Keratoderma of the palms and soles may develop.
Factoids:
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The FDA passed a ruling in 1997 that registered Oat Bran containing an amount of 3 grams beta glucan as the first cholesterol-reducing food. (Quaker Oats, among others, thank you!) While our Beta Glucan is yeast-based, the Co-op strongly encourages you to eat your grains including oats, barley, and wheat.
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Experiments with Beta 1, 3-D Glucan on humans began in the 1970s. Since then, over two thousand studies have been completed.
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Beta Glucan and the cat... 
