How Does Beta Glucan Compare to Probiotics?
In 2012, Italian and Spanish researchers found that Beta Glucan from cider gives Lactobacillus bacteria and another type of probiotic bacteria called Pediococcus the ability to stick to the cells in the intestines by up to five-fold.
This is a pretty remarkable feature of Beta Glucan because there has always been a problem of eating yogurt – the healthy bacteria you consume in the yogurt simply passes through the gut, often without colonizing the gut. This means you have to keep eating it in order to raise the gut bacteria populations.
Beta Glucan also allows the probiotics to survive longer in the GI tract or during the process by which it is made. For example, when yogurt is made, the probiotics inside the yogurt live for only so long until they die. Yet if Beta Glucan is added to the yogurt, it extends the length of time the probiotics in the yogurt are viable.
In the same study, Beta Glucan also acted as a prebiotic, increasing the number of probiotic strains that grew in the laboratory culture.
Prebiotic properties have been related to improved efficiency in intestinal functions, mineral absorption, immune functions, and cancer prevention.
Compared to probiotics, you are better off taking Beta Glucan, especially if your gut reacts to different probiotics. Beta Glucan is the precursor to the probiotics. This isn’t a matter of what came first – the chicken or the egg! It’s a matter of getting Beta Glucan in the body straight first and then dealing with the probiotic situation afterwards – if it still exists.
Are There Clinical Studies About Beta Glucan?
Beta Glucans derived from oats have been found to decrease cholesterol levels in humans by up to 8%. This means that if your cholesterol levels are 300 mg/dl, they would come down to about 276 mg/dl and if your cholesterol levels are 250 mg/dl, they could be lowered to about 230 mg/dl.
The Beta Glucans in a cup and a half of oatmeal registers about 3 grams Beta Glucan, the dose that matches what was seen in the studies on cholesterol. But lowering cholesterol isn’t the only clinical condition tested in the clinical trials.
When given once or twice weekly as an IV to patients with HIV/AIDS, Beta Glucan increased immune function. Another study found reduced pain, bloating and and gas in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. This can make a big difference in the lives of people with this type of intestinal disease that ruins their quality of life.
In another study, Beta Glucans improved the symptoms such as bloating and stomach pain in those who had had stomach surgery. It reduced the potential of developing sepsis after other types of surgery as well. Taking the supplement for four weeks reduced allergies in people allergic to ragweed.
Beta Glucan has also been applied topically to people who have human papilloma virus, psoriasis, and yeast infections with some success. It’s also been given as an IV or shot into the muscle near a tumor in those with advanced cancer. The only downside is that the cancer patients needed to receive the injection or IV daily for at least a year. That’s when it extended their lifespan.
Why Should Try Our Beta Glucan (Immunity Power)?
Your choice of Beta Glucan determines to a large extent your body’s response to it and effectiveness. Below are 8 reasons why starting out with Immunity Power, our Beta Glucan natural product, is the best choice.
1. Strongest Immune System Response
Other Beta Glucans on the market source oats, barley, or medicinal mushrooms but we find that the most biologically active one is from baker’s yeast. This is why we chose yeast as our starting food source for Immunity Power. The strongest immune response in the body has been found with a source of baker’s yeast.
2. No Sensitivity Reactions to Yeast
Those who are sensitive to baker’s yeast, there is no worry of sensitivity reactions or yeast/Candida overgrowth due to the strain used. The reactivity arises from yeast proteins or impurities but there are none in our natural product.
3. Chemical-Free
No harsh chemicals are used in our processing of the Beta Glucan. The only ingredient is pure Beta Glucan, ready to be absorbed within your body’s macrophages in 30 minutes after taking it.
4. Lower, More Effective Dose Per Capsule
With 400 mg pure Beta Glucan per capsule, only one capsule is needed before or away from meals to prevent infections and makes it ideal to take daily.
The dosage only doubles to two capsules daily for those who are preparing to travel, are immersed in a stressful situation, or are being exposed to sick and infectious individuals such as around the cold and flu season.
The higher the quality and purity of Beta Glucan, the less you need to take daily; this is why you need not take other company’s higher dosage of 1000 mg or more daily.
5. Added Vitamin D for the Immune System
Many people are deficient in vitamin D without even knowing it. This affects the immune system negatively, making someone more prone to develop infections, colds and the flu.
By taking both vitamin D and beta glucans simultaneously, it is believed that you will have greater immunity since two aspects of immunity are being addressed simultaneously – the door to infections that a pre-existing deficiency could cause plus the boost in existing immune system function that you have.
6. Gluten-free, Soy-free, Dairy-free
Sensitivities to gluten, soy and dairy are rampant in today’s world. We never question your sensitivity. Our goal is to improve your immunity through Beta Glucan, the prime immune system modulator.
7. Non-GMO
We respect your choice of going Non-GMO for the natural supplements you take and believe it’s a smart move.
8. Vegetarian
We know how important it is for certain individuals to consume foods and supplements that are animal-free or animal byproduct free in any way, shape or form. We respect that choice.
9. Made in Switzerland in a Certified GMP manufacturing plant
This means we hold ourselves to the highest manufacturing practices at all times.
Predictions for the Huge Growth of Beta Glucans: The Future of All-Natural Immune Support
What will occur next in the health industry? What will be the next part of the puzzle of health that will be solved? It has to be beta glucans. Everyone knows about probiotics right now. But they don’t know what came first before the probiotics. It’s the immune system response that regulates the probiotics.
All-natural Immune Support has always been the answer for civilization. Foods and their functional component parts have the #1 place in health, and partaking of them is the most natural thing you can do – and feel good about it. As more and more people wake up to natural healing, the market for Beta Glucans can only grow.
What will happen next after that? One can only ponder the future… but while we’re waiting, why not see the potential, use the supplement and reap the benefits?
Written by Dr Donna Schwontkowski
Dr. Donna Schwontkowski has 25 years experience in treating patients from an alternative health perspective, Dr. Donna Schwontkowski offers insight into how to use natural methods of healing to improve human health.
Sources:
Chi-Fung Chan, Godfrey, et al. The effects of b-glucan on human immune and cancer cells. J Hematol Oncol 2009;2:25. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2704234/
Russo, P., et al. Beta Glucans improve growth, viability and colonization of probiotic microorganisms. Int J Mol Sci 2012;13(5):6026-39. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3382753/
Novak, M. and Vetvicka, V. Beta Glucans, history and the present: immunomodulatory aspects and mechanisms of action. J Immunotoxicol 2008 Jan;5(1):47-57.