Skip to content

Wellthoughts

  • Home
  • Food As Medicine
  • Gut Health
  • Hormones
  • Mindfulness
  • Jac’s Favorites
  • Lifestyle
    • Exposed
    • Quizzes
    • Guides
    • News
  • About Us
    • Contributors
    • Contact

The Beta Glucan Benefits

  • June 10, 2019
  • Jacqueline Genova

Beta glucans are polysaccharides that are found in several yeasts, mushrooms, and other foods. They possess immune-stimulating compounds that help fight cancer and infection through decreasing inflammation in the body.

Beta glucans are sugars (classified as polysaccharides) that are found in the cell walls of bacteria, yeasts, algae, fungi, lichens, and plants (like oats and barley). It is the most studied immunomodulater on earth with over 14,000 published studies on pubmed and is currently being tested in 100 clinical trials. It activates and enhances immune response to invaders like viruses, bacteria, & cancer cells. For example, the healing properties of mushrooms can be attributed to their high-content of beta glucans, which have been shown to increase host immune defense through enhancing macrophages and natural killer cell function.

Beta glucans work by activating both of the components of the immune system: the innate immune response and the acquired immune response. The innate immune system is primarily responsible for acting as a physical as well as chemical barrier to infectious agents, and helps to identify and remove foreign substances in our bodies through cytokines and specialized white blood cells. The acquired immune response is responsible for the destruction of foreign particles once they have entered the body, and consists of mainly B cells and T cells. During the process of first exposure, the acquired immune system must learn how to attack and ultimately destroy these foreign particles.

beta glucans against inflammation Innate immune response

Furthermore, studies have shown that the fiber in beta glucans helps to increase the cytokines response. This response helps to regulate various inflammatory responses as well as the immune system response in breast, stomach, and colorectal cancers. These studies have even concluded that some forms of beta glucan may be beneficial in helping to reduce the size of cancerous tumors, as well as helping to prevent cancer metastasis.

The ability of beta glucans to decrease the body’s inflammation response is significant, given that inflammation can cause severe damage when it becomes chronic. Chronic inflammation has been shown to be an underlying cause in almost every disease. For example, inflammation does not only play a key role in the development of conditions such as asthma and allergies, but research has shown that parkinson’s, alzheimer’s, cancer, hormone-related diseases like PCOS & endometriosis, autoimmune disorders, and even brain-related disorders like depression occur when the body is in an inflammatory-state. Levels of cytokines (pro-inflammatory molecules) have even been found to be higher in people with mood & other psychotic disorders.

In addition to its anti-inflammatory benefits, beta glucans have been found to help:

  • Benefit heart health
  • Support the body’s fight against cancer
  • Help the body conquer infection
beta glucan in oats help against inflammation.

Check out the following foods that are rich in beta-glucans, and start adding them to your diet today:

  • Seaweed
  • Algae
  • Oats & whole grains
  • Reishi, maitake, and shiitake mushrooms

Share:

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on pinterest
Pinterest
Jacqueline Genova

Jacqueline Genova

Social Media

Instagram Pinterest Facebook-f

Most Recent

10 Ways to Calm Your Nervous System

September 29, 2020

Manage Your Mood by Empowering You

September 29, 2020

Exercise Considerations for Individuals with Rheumatoid Arthritis

September 7, 2020

7 Pillars to Optimal Health To Support The Immune System

August 27, 2020
Get The Latest Updates

Subscribe To Our Monthly Newsletter

Discover What It Means To Live Well. 

Categories

  • Home
  • Food As Medicine
  • Gut Health
  • Hormones
  • Mindfulness
  • Jac’s Favorites
  • Lifestyle
    • Exposed
    • Quizzes
    • Guides
    • News
  • About Us
    • Contributors
    • Contact
Menu
  • Home
  • Food As Medicine
  • Gut Health
  • Hormones
  • Mindfulness
  • Jac’s Favorites
  • Lifestyle
    • Exposed
    • Quizzes
    • Guides
    • News
  • About Us
    • Contributors
    • Contact
PrevPreviousMaster Your Mindset
NextThe Neuropsychology of Eating Interview with Dr. Srini PillayNext
On Key

You Might Be Interested In . . .

Why Boosting Your Brain Health Matters

Did you know that keeping your brain healthy is as crucial as the health of the rest of your body? Many of us don’t think

What is Insulin Resistance?

Understanding insulin resistance is key to understanding the development of type two diabetes. First, let’s talk about insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced by specific

What are you letting control you?

It’s no secret that we’ve found ourselves in some pretty unprecedented times. Feelings of fear and doubt, the concept of control, health and wellness, among

cold-showers-wim-hof-method-vagus-nerve

Train Your Body To Fight Disease

With the fear of Coronavirus permeating the world, everyone is questioning how to keep their immune systems strong. While there is no proven cure to

Wellthoughts-02

Home
Exposed
Food As Medicine
Gut Health
Hormones
Mindfulness
About Us
Contact

 

Privacy Policy   Disclaimer  Terms & Conditions

© 2021 Wellthoughts | WordPress Theme by Superb Themes
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.