New Research

By Jim English

An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but results of a recent human clinical study suggest far better results may be obtained with a dietary supplement called Beta 1,3-D Glucan. Beta 1,3-D Glucan is a highly purified and patented carbohydrate extracted from the cell walls of Baker’s yeast.

An independent study conducted by Biophage Pharma Inc., a Canadian biopharmaceutical company, treated normal human volunteers with 250 milligrams of Beta 1,3-D Glucan for 10 consecutive days. The subjects were monitored for 30 days. The results of the human clinical study found that the Beta 1,3-D Glucan was safe and well tolerated, as evidenced by the lack of significant changes in key blood and liver enzymes. It also significantly increased phagocytic capacity – the ability of the innate immune cells to eat and destroy foreign intruders (Fig. 1).

On day ten of the study Beta Glucan had increased the percentage of immune cells able to phagocytose one target particle from 63.8 percent to 83.2 percent. The number of highly phagocytic cells – those consuming at least three particles – increased from 37.3 percent to more than 50 percent. These results show that taking Beta Glucan enhanced the human immune system to defend the body against a challenge.

“The results are consistent with the biological activity of Beta 1,3-D Glucan observed in numerous animal studies,” said Rosemonde Mandeville, Chief Scientific Officer of Biophage Pharma. In addition, researchers also found that Beta 1,3-D Glucan increased plasma cytokines INF-y and TNF-a, which play an important role in regulating the body’s immune response. There was no significant increase in cytokine IL-1, which can cause fever, chills and muscle aches associated with other immune-enhancing supplements (Fig. 2).