What Is Beta-Glucan? Your Guide to Its Health Benefits

Beta-glucan is a natural soluble fiber found in the cell walls of certain food sources, such as mushrooms, barley, oats, rye, fungi, and baker’s yeast.

Thousands of medical studies have linked beta-glucan to a range of health benefits.

Glucan works its magic by interacting with immune cells to boost your body’s defense mechanisms and enhance your immune system. (1)

Understanding Beta-Glucan and Its Sources

Beta-glucan, containing biologically active polysaccharides, is defined as an immunomodulator due to its ability to activate and enhance immune cells in the human body.

The fiber-like molecule activates all of the immune system’s cells: macrophages, neutrophils, basophils, and natural killer cells.

Due to the enhancement of immune cells, your body is able to produce a stronger, more complete immune system. 

In turn, this allows the body to fight off harmful pathogens (pathogenic bacteria) more effectively and combat illness and disease.

Sources of Beta-Glucan

It is essential to note that when consuming foods that contain beta-glucan the body does not naturally absorb the beta-glucan in the same way as if the beta-glucan has been isolated and purified.

For this reason, beta-glucan is available in the form of supplements that can be taken on a daily basis.

In addition to supplements, it can be found in the following food sources (2):

• Oats and oatmeal
• Rye
• Sorghum
• Yeast
• Maize
• Shiitake mushrooms
• Reishi mushrooms
• Barley
• Wheat
• Seaweed

Keep in mind that not all beta-glucan supplements are created equal, and it is essential to choose trusted and reputable brands or speak with your doctor for advice.

Soluble vs. Insoluble Fiber

Fiber is a staple in the diet and comes in two forms: soluble and insoluble, each with distinct health benefits.

Soluble fibers dissolve into a gel-like substance during digestion, which helps to slow down the process of food moving through your system.

This action can make you feel full for longer and stabilize blood sugar levels by slowing absorption into your bloodstream.

Soluble fiber may also lower cholesterol and manage insulin levels. (3)

Insoluble fiber does not dissolve with water or digestive juices, so it stays mostly the same as it goes through the digestive system.

As it is not digested, insoluble fiber is not a source of calories.

While both types are important for digestion, the soluble fiber in beta-glucan stands out for its role in promoting digestive health and the gut microbiome.

The Amazing Benefits of Beta-Glucan

As the upcoming medical science resources will show, glucans have been linked to a wealth of health benefits.

Supporting Heart Health

Studies show that beta-glucan may promote heart health through its ability to lower the levels of LDL cholesterol (lethal cholesterol) in the bloodstream. (4)

In fact, the FDA (Federal Food and Drug Administration) officially approved a health claim saying that β-glucans from oat bran, whole oats, and whole oat flour may be able to reduce the risk of heart disease.

The fiber-like compounds in glucan help control food movement through the intestines, which reduces low-density lipoprotein levels and eases the discomfort of indigestion. (5)

This may decrease the risk of heart disease.

Antitumor and Cancer Treatment

Purified β-glucans have been used in clinical studies to treat cancer in humans. 

The stimulation of innate immune cells by beta-glucan’s ability to immunomodulate (adapt and enhance cells) enables the immune system to be stronger and fight diseases more effectively.

This reaction triggers adaptive immune cell responses, which inhibit tumor growth and tumor metastasis.

Tumor metastasis is when the cancer moves to a different part of the body from where it began.

Diabetes and Weight Control

Both animal- and human-based clinical trials have suggested that beta-glucan clearly shows positive anti-obesity and anti-diabetic effects. (*)

Beta-glucan’s satiating ability may be linked to colonic fermentation’s short-chain fatty acid production for weight control. 

Short-chain fatty acids regulate appetite-regulating hormones such as PYY, GLP-1, and ghrelin, a gastrointestinal hormone.

Glucan has also been included in studies that show that it may lower cholesterol levels and help manage LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol).

Skin Care Treatment

β-glucan used in the form of lotion and cream has huge advantages for damaged, itching, or aging skin. 

Glucan skin cream has skin-regenerating qualities that can boost collagen production, revive immune cells, and make the skin stronger against harmful external effects. (*)

Users of the cream are known to experience extreme skin hydration and nourishing effects. 

This is because beta-glucan cream acts as a powerful humectant, which means it has the ability to capture and retain moisture in the skin.

Beta-Glucan Skin Benefits

• Enhances collagen production
• Aids wound healing
• Soothes damaged skin
• Minimizes aging signs
• Anti-inflammatory
• Repairs photo-aging damage
• Proven hydration and safety
• Speeds up healing of bed sores

The Importance of the Immune System

To understand all that glucans can do for your immune system, we need to understand more about the immune system first.

The immune system acts as your body’s first line of defense against harmful germs, viruses, pathogens, and diseases. 

A healthy immune system means a happy life.

Not only is it effective in fighting off harmful illnesses, but a healthy immunity also helps:(*)

• Combat bacteria, viruses, and infections
• Faster recovery from illness
• Accelerate wound recovery
• Manage allergies
• Combat harmful pathogens
• Fights off common cold and flu
• Works as an antioxidant
• Destroys harmful bodily invaders
• Maintain a healthy gut microbiome
• Manage inflammation
• Adapt to new threats
• Reduce tumor proliferation
• Prevent tumor growth

Common Immune System Disorders

It is common for people to have a weak or waning immune system without even knowing it.

This is known as being ‘immunocompromised‘ which relates to the reduced ability to fight diseases and infection.

Weakened immunity can present itself in many forms, with some resulting in serious illness and disease.

For example:

• Allergies to food, insects, and medications
• Asthma
• Hay fever
• Eczema
• Sinus infections
• Pneumonia
• High cholesterol
• Heart disease
• Cancer

How Beta-Glucan Helps the Immune System

Now that we have learned more about the importance of the immune system, we will see how beta-glucan enhances immune function and presents a more complete, stronger immune system.

The process:

Once beta-glucan enters the bloodstream, it makes contact with specific interaction points on immune cells known as cell surface receptors. (6)

Then, the glucan molecule works by activating immune system cells in the body, enhancing macrophages, neutrophils, basophils, and natural killer (NK) cells, the heroes safeguarding our health. (7)

This touch sets off a cascade effect throughout your immune system’s cell function network, leading to more efficient patrolling against pathogenic threats.

The action of your immune cells affects how effectively your immune system recognizes and eliminates cells that don’t belong in your body. 

When the body is faced with harmful pathogens that are recognized as non-self, beta-glucan goes to work by putting the immune cells on high alert to fight and defeat the attackers. (8)

In particular, macrophages set off a chain of events that help the body produce the best, strongest, and most suitable immune reaction possible.

What Does Science Say?

More than 60 years of medical research have been conducted on beta-glucan and its health benefits.

Currently, over 200,000 scientific studies are published on PubMed.gov and over 250 controlled trials and studies are underway at ClinicalTrials.gov.

Furthermore, beta-glucan has been studied in various universities and teaching hospitals, such as:

• Mayo Clinic
• Tulane University
• Harvard University
• University of Massachusetts
• University of Louisville
• Auburn University
• Defense Research Estbmt., Canada
• Baylor College of Medicine
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Center
• McGill University
• Cornell University
• Brown University

How to Boost Your Immune System with Beta-Glucan

Beta-1, 3D Glucan is the best and most effective super-supplement known to science that has been shown to improve the immune system.

It is essential to only use trusted suppliers of beta-glucan. 

Not all glucan is created the same.

How Do Different Beta-Glucans Compare?

The University of Louisville conducted a scientific study in which they cross-compared all well-known immune system supplements to identify the one with the highest potency and best quality.

The study was titled ‘”Beta-1,3-Glucan: Silver Bullet or Hot Air?,” and the results were published in Open Glycoscience in 2010.

Beta-glucan (Glucan 300) produced by Better Way Health was found to be the most effective immune supplement out of the hundreds that were tested. 

See the comparisons for yourself.

Enhanced Immune System Means Enhanced Life

Due to a fully active immune system, beta-glucan may help you with: (9)

• Allergies
• Asthma
• Bloating
• Common Colds
• Diabetes
• Ear Infections
• Fibromyalgia
• Flu
• Hepatitis
• High Blood Pressure
• High Cholesterol
• Irritable Bowel Disease
• Liver Problems
• Lyme Disease
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Physical and Emotional Stress
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Ulcerative Colitis

Conclusion

Beta-glucan is a powerhouse compound that enhances the immune system’s ability to perform at its best.

By managing cholesterol and blood pressure, beta-glucan keeps your heart beating strong. 

Natural sources of glucan include bran, oats, baker’s yeast, sorghum, rye, seaweed, and various fungi.

beta-glucan from Better Way Health has been scientifically proven to be the purest and most effective beta-glucan in the world.

View beta-glucan supplements

References:

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17895634
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/beta-glucan
3. https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/supplement-guide-fiber
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5810204
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3236515
6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17895634/#:~:text=The%20induction%20of%20cellular%20responses,Glucans%20also%20show%20anticarcinogenic%20activity.
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7016572
8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6618291/
9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17895634/