Some six to ten million people in the UK are infected with influenza every year – crippling some communities and creating challenges for many businesses.
The recent SARS outbreak and MRSA hospital infections have increasingly shown the need for defence against the ever more powerful pathogens that can now rapidly circle the globe on airplanes with their human hosts. But there is new hope in combating these diseases – from a safe, natural supplement – beta glucan.
Beta Glucan – powerful support for our immune system
Beta glucan is a supplement derived and purified from the cell wall of common baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Research has shown that beta glucan provides powerful support for our immune systems, and helps our bodies defend against a wide range of infections, both bacterial and viral.
Pre-clinical studies (referenced below) have shown that beta glucan can help us resist and survive E.coli and Staphylococcus aureus, bacteria which readily infect humans, and which mutate rapidly to become resistant to antibiotics. Survival rates in untreated laboratory mice went from zero to between 80 and 90 percent in the group receiving a beta glucan supplement.
Other studies have shown beta glucan’s effectiveness against heavy lethal doses of the influenza virus, with survival rates increasing from zero in the control group, to better than 50 percent in the group receiving the beta glucan.
In studies where beta glucan was used in conjunction with antibiotics, beta glucan improved the effectiveness of the antibiotics four-fold.
In another animal study, beta glucan, used prophylactically, was proven effective against an otherwise lethal dose of anthrax. Survival rates increased from 50 percent in the control group, to 100 percent among the group given the beta glucan.
How beta glucan works
Beta glucan provides protection against diseases by enhancing four key immune responses.
First, it primes macrophages, neutrophils and natural killer (NK) cells to defend the body against a broad range of foreign challenges. These cells are chiefly responsible for destroying pathogens (i.e foreign invaders) and tumor cells.
Second, it enhances the ability of these cells to move from the peripheral circulation of the body to the site of the challenge or attempted “invasion” by a pathogen.
Third, beta glucan enhances the ability of these innate immune cells to phagocytize, or “engulf and eat” pathogens.
Finally, beta glucan enhances the production of agents that act to destroy the disease challenge.
The end result is an enhancement of the body’s ability to fight against pathogenic challenges – whether microbial, fungal, viral or cancer-related.
Processing is important
Biothera is a biotech company and a world leader in research on beta glucans, and is the manufacturer of a patented source of 1-3, 1-6 beta glucans, WGP 3-6. Their research shows that beta glucan needs to be highly purified in order to be effective. Essentially, the outer layers of the yeast cell need to be removed to expose the beta glucan, so that it can bind to the receptor sites of the innate immune cells.
The purification process should also remove proteins and yeast residues. These can otherwise cause adverse effects in many people, and reduce the overall effectiveness of the beta glucan. Unfortunately some brands of 1-3,1-6 beta glucans are not purified sufficiently to be effective.
Who should take beta glucan?
The general answer is that anyone who wants to maintain or enhance the effectiveness of their immune system; anyone who experiences daily stress (which lowers the immune response), people who are susceptible to infectious diseases and slow and incomplete healing, should all benefit from a supplement containing an effective dose of 1-3, 1-6 beta glucans.
Additional circumstances for use would include people entering hospital - who are at greater risk of infection – as are long distance air travelers, who are exposed to a higher levels of UV radiation than normal. (Indeed the US Government is now testing Biothera’s beta glucans with a view to stockpiling it as a protective measure against the possibility of nuclear radiation).
An obvious time for many people to consider the use of an immune booster is in the pre-flu season. And a smaller but specific group would be athletes who should also derive health benefits since strenuous exercise actually lowers the immune response.
Beta glucan can be taken as a daily supplement, because the immune system’s effectiveness fluctuates from day to day, due to direct and indirect environmental conditions. When the immune system is suppressed, weakened, or under stress, we will be more prone to illness.
Since the billions of innate immune cells which protect us have a life-span of only a day or two, a daily intake of beta glucan will help to support the immune system on a constant basis. The challenges to the immune system are constant, so we need to provide consistent support.
The research evidence for beta glucans is solid – but it can be used synergistically with another natural nutrient - beta sitosterol.
How beta sitosterols work
The nutritional plant extract beta sitosterol is one example of a group of molecules called sterols. They are regarded as the plant kingdom’s equivalent of cholesterol. It is a natural immuno-modulator as it up-regulates (enhances) certain aspects of immune function while down-regulating others. Beta sitosterol is present in a large number of plant foods and especially seeds and nuts.
Beta sitosterol increases natural killer cell activity, thus their depletion leaves the cells under-active. This contributes to an overall degradation of the innate immune system. Hence, a diet rich in sterols can ‘quieten’ auto-immune responses and improve immune response generally.
Problem Diet – low in effective nutrients
Western diets are historically low in the key nutrients needed to make the immune system work at optimum level - beta glucans, vitamin D and beta sitosterol.
Beta sitosterol consumption has fallen because of decreased intakes of seeds, nuts and whole grains. Vitamin D levels have fallen due to decreased exposure to sunlight and the few foods that contain Vitamin D eg oily fish. This is a problem as a large number of studies show that vitamin D status is inversely linked to cancer risk.
Amounts of 1-3, 1-6 beta glucans in our diet have fallen due to improved standards of food storage and hygiene – remember it is derived from yeast. This has ensured that levels of yeasts and related micro-organisms which contain beta glucans in their cell walls are far below those we used to encounter before canning and freezing technology became universal.
It is highly likely, therefore, that a combination of dietary shift, sun avoidance and hygiene has left the innate immune system below its functional best.
ImmunoShield – rich in beta sitosterols and beta glucans
Lack of adequate levels of immuno-strengthening nutrients can weaken our immune system and to avoid such a situation, Dr Paul Clayton, who is a fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and a former advisor to the UK Committee on the Safety of Medicines, has advised on the formulation of Uni-Vite ImmunoShield, a natural nutritional immune system booster containing a unique combination of beta sitosterol and beta glucans – supplied by Biothera..
The role of beta sitosterol and 1-3, 1-6 beta glucans in strengthening the immune system is explained in detail by the international health expert Dr Paul Clayton in his book Health Defence and at www.drpaulclayton.com.
Visit www.immunoshield.com to learn more about the effective use of nutritional food ingredients in activating immunity.