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Issue Three
Hope or Hype?
What are Beta Glucans?
Who can Benefit?
Ancestor of Human Cellular Immunity?
It was the great French scientist and joint Nobel Prizewinner of 1908, Dr. Elie‚ Metchnikoff, who suggested as early as 1883 that our bodies contain cells which
hunt down and devour bacteria and other disease-causing organisms.
Metchnikoff was the first, therefore, to accurately describe the 'macrophage' (which literally means big eater' and which is now often described as the Pac-Man' of our immune system,) - and the process of 'phagocytosis' which describes how immune cells engulf and destroy their victims by digesting them. Since then, scientists have noted that even the most primitive life-forms on Earth such as the sponge (which contains only three cell types in all) share this, our most basic type of immune cell. Our other immune cells; such as the Helper, Killer and Suppressor T-cells; the antibody-producing B-cells; and the other granulocytes such as basophils, neutrophils and eisonophils - are believed to have all evolved from this one basic primitive immune cell type - the macrophage.
What are Beta Glucans?
Beta glucans are polyglucose complexes which can be isolated and purified from many species of plants including, but not limited, to cereal grains such as barley and oats,
from yeasts, mushrooms and from other fungi.
Comprising glucose molecules arranged in a backbone formation, with kinks' or bonding sites at specific links' in this chain, (determining their 1,3; 1,4 or 1,6 configuration/classification) beta glucans in general, and beta 1,3 D-glucan in particular has been creating wide-spread interest among phytochemical research scientists and knowledgeable health professionals ever since a crude immune-activating compound was first isolated from a yeast cell-wall and named Zymosan' by Dr. Louis Pillemer and his colleagues in the 1940s.
The active component of Zymosan was not identified until the 1960s, however, when Dr. Nicholas DiLuzio of Tulane University in Alabama began experimenting with beta 1,3 D-glucan; one of the components he found within
the original crude protein, lipid and polysachharide compound. The key reason that beta 1,3 D-glucan is now generating interest among the scientific and preventive health communities is due to its clearly demonstrated
ability to fortify and magnify the all-important 'primary' immune response in humans and animals.
Who can benefit?
Background supplementation of beta 1,3 D-glucan (we suggest 300 mg per day as a preventive dose) should help anyone exposed
to disease-causing organisms to mount a more effective and decisive immune response.
We believe that this supplementation becomes more relevant and important as we age, however, as the shrinking of the thymus gland after reaching the age of sexual maturation results in fewer available circulating immune cells to fight infection or to guard against the appearance of cancerous cells. Beta 1,3 D-glucan does not cause overactivity of the immune system so it will not aggravate any existing autoimmune condition. Beta 1,3 D-glucan is also safe for people with yeast allergies to consume as the proteins which trigger the allergic response are removed in the extraction process. Having ourselves tried the beta glucan continuously over the past eight months and having had no evidence of upper respiratory infections during this period despite being surrounded by those who fell prey to them, we're convinced that it has had a considerable protective effect against bacterial and viral infections for our staff. While we are always cautious about the scientific objectivity of testimonials (including our own!) we have had the opportunity to discuss beta 1,3 D-glucan with health professionals who have been using this incredible product at therapeutic' levels. (25mgs per kilogram of body weight per day is suggested). It would appear that there are mounting incidences of soft-tissue tumors disappearing from CT scans and X-rays following three to four months of beta 1,3 D-glucan supplementation at these high levels. It is important to point out that these patients have all been undergoing complimentary therapies during this supplementation period. No-one should attempt to use beta 1,3 D-glucan as their sole treatment for such a serious condition, and should only use this as an adjunct to other therapies under the guidance and watchful eye of a competent health professional. The application of beta 1,3 D-glucan for those suffering from compromised immunity for any reason is obvious, such as those recuperating from long-term viral or bacterial infection, immune-supressing medication or surgery. Stress and trauma, whether physical or emotional, as well as mental depression can exert a significantly depressing effect on immune function too.
MacroMax 100 - A Quality Product From A Trusted Supplier.
There are numerous sources of beta glucans in nature - being found in various forms and configurations within certain yeasts, molds, fungi and
cereal grains. Only the beta 1,3 glucan derived from the cell walls of saccharomyces cerevisiae, however, has demonstrated such a powerful effect in macrophage activation.
The emergence of beta 1,3 glucan products on the market today has created a battleground of words, with a number of manufacturers claiming to have exclusive' access to pure' beta-glucan. Testing carried out by the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center at the University of Georgia using the latest analytical methods tells another story however, with most beta 1,3 glucan samples tested struggling to reach 80% purity. Only having satisified ourselves that we could offer the highest quality beta 1,3 D-glucan available today, were we ready to announce the market launch of Nature's Balance MacroMax 100 .
Buyers Beware!
There are suppliers of beta 1,3 D-glucan currently offering as little as 3 mg per capsule and charging as much as $20.00 for a bottle of just 30 of these. As the suggested therapeutic dosage of beta 1,3 D-glucan for treating existing symptoms is 25 mg per kilogram of body weight per day, one can quickly see how many bottles one would have to consume each day to intake those suggested dosage levels! We actually put more beta glucan in a single capsule than they offer you in their complete bottle. Each capsule of MacroMax 100 contains 100 mg of beta 1,3 D-glucan, and each of our bottles contains 60 of these capsules -equivalent to 66.6 bottles of the aforementioned product!
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