Beta Glucan 1,3d

[jbourne99]

Hello,

Has anyone tried beta glucan 1,3d for better health?  I want to know others experiences when they took Transfer Point's beta glucan.  I read some literature on it, does it sound too good to be true or does this actually work.  

[gsh1104]

I have tried beta glucan (source naturals) containing both 1,3 and 1,6 beta glucans.   It greatly aggravated my stomach problem.  ( I appear to have autoimmune gastritis. )  I'm still tempted to try a product with only the water soluble 1,3 glucan -- to see if it helps.    So far the only thing that seems to help me is resveratrol (gaia) and weak green tea.     Lion's mane greatly increased stomach acid production and caused problems for me.    It's supposed to be useful for advanced stages of autoimmune atrophic gastritis, but it did no help me at all.   Advanced stage has LOW stomach acid, whereas I have HIGH stomach acid.  

If anyone here has any ideas, I would appreciate it.   I'm just getting more and more ill.

[gymdandee]

You're Welcome!

[Dalubaba]

Many thanks for publishing the full-fledged article on Flax seed and Flax oil. I can confidently say that I could learn much more from this article than all the website i visited. thanks.

[gymdandee]

Loaded with alpha-linolenic acid, an essential fatty acid that helps reduce inflammation, flaxseed has been used for centuries for medicinal and health reasons. Gandhi proclaimed, "Wherever flaxseed becomes a regular food item among the people, there will be better health." The seed itself has terrific nutritional value, very usable protein, tremendous fatty acids, and minerals like magnesium, potassium, and zinc. Additionally, they're a great source of fiber.
It's important to realize that the omega-3 fatty acids in flaxseed oil aren't identical to what you get from fish oil. Flaxseed oil contains alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), while fish oil contains eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The effects and potential benefits may not be the same. Whole flaxseeds contain another important group of chemicals known as lignans. Lignans are being studied for use in preventing cancer. However, flaxseed oil contains no lignans.
Flaxseed oil contains both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are essential to health. Although the exact daily requirement of these essential fatty acids is not known, deficiencies are believed to be fairly common.
Flaxseed oil may be an economical way to ensure that you get enough essential fatty acids in your diet. The essential fatty acids in flax can be damaged by exposure to heat, light, and oxygen (essentially, they become rancid). For this reason, you shouldn't cook with flaxseed oil. A good product should be sold in an opaque container, and the manufacturing process should keep the temperature under 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Some manufacturers combine the product with vitamin E because it helps prevent rancidity.
A typical dosage is 1 to 2 tablespoons of flaxseed oil daily. It can be taken in capsule form or made into salad dressing. The best use of flaxseed oil is as a general nutritional supplement to provide essential fatty acids. There is little evidence that it is effective for any specific therapeutic purpose.
Flaxseed oil has been proposed as a less smelly alternative to fish oil for the prevention of heart disease. However, there is as yet no consistent evidence that it works. One double-blind study of 56 people failed to find that flax oil improved cholesterol profile. Other studies did find improvements in cholesterol and/or blood pressure, but these were small trials and suffered from serious problems in study design.
One study found that a diet high in ALA (from sources other than flaxseed oil) was associated with a reduced risk of heart disease.
However, there were so many other factors involved that it is hard to say what caused what. Sjogren's syndrome is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system destroys moisture-producing glands, such as tear glands and salivary glands. It can occur by itself, or in conjunction with other autoimmune diseases, such as lupus. One small, double-blind study found preliminary evidence that use of flaxseed oil at a dose of 1-2 g daily can improve dry eye symptoms in Sjogren's syndrome.
One very preliminary study hints that flaxseed oil may enhance the effects of conventional treatments for bipolar disorder when combined with conventional medications. But, another study did not find flaxseed oil to be beneficial for treating bipolar disorder in children.
It has been suggested that flaxseed oil may have anticancer effects due to its ALA and lignan content. However, the supporting evidence for this belief is incomplete and somewhat contradictory (some studies actually found weak evidence of increased cancer risk with higher ALA intake).
Although fish oil appears to be effective for reducing symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, one study failed to find flaxseed oil helpful for this purpose. One study failed to find flaxseed oil helpful for preventing premature birth. One small randomized trial found flaxseed oil ineffective for reducing blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes.
                                         References
1. Thompson LU. Experimental studies on lignans and cancer. Baillieres Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1998;12:691,705.

2. Siguel EN. Essential and trans fatty acid metabolism in health and disease. Compr Ther. 1994;20:500,510.

3. Prasad K. Dietary flax seed in prevention of hypercholesterolemic atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis. 1997;132:69,76.

4. Arjmandi BH, Khan DA, Juma S, et al. Whole flaxseed consumption lowers serum LDL-cholesterol and lipoprotein(a) concentrations in postmenopausal women. Nutr Res. 1998;18:1203,1214.

5. Singer P, Jaeger W, Berger I, et al. Effects of dietary oleic, linoleic, and alpha-linolenic acids on blood pressure, serum lipids, lipoproteins and the formation of eicosanoid precursors in patients with mild essential hypertension. J Hum Hypertens. 1990;4:227,233.

6. de Lorgeril M, Renaud S, Mamelle N, et al. Mediterranean alpha-linolenic acid-rich diet in secondary prevention of coronary heart disease. Lancet. 1994;343:1454,1459.

7. Rice RD. Mediterranean diet. Lancet. 1994;344:893,894.

8. Nordstrom DCE, Honkanen VEA, Nasu Y, et al. Alpha-linolenic acid in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. A double-blind, placebo-controlled and randomized study: Flaxseed vs. safflower seed. Rheumatol Int. 1995;14:231,234.

9. Stoll AL, Locke CA, Marangell LB, et al. Omega-3 fatty acids and bipolar disorder: a review. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 1999;60:329,337.

10. Thompson LU, Rickard SE, Orcheson LJ, et al. Flaxseed and its lignan and oil components reduce mammary tumor growth at a late stage of carcinogenesis. Carcinogenesis. 1996;17:1373-6.

11. Bougnoux P, Koscielny S, Chajes V, et al. Alpha-linolenic acid content of adipose breast tissue: a host determinant of the risk of early metastasis in breast cancer. Br J Cancer. 1994;70:330,334.

12. Rose DP. Dietary fatty acids and cancer. Am J Clin Nutr. 1997;66(suppl):998S,1003S.

13. Thompson LU. Experimental studies on lignans and cancer. Baillieres Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1998;12:691,705.

14. Maillard V, Bougnoux P, Ferrari P, et al. N-3 and N-6 fatty acids in breast adipose tissue and relative risk of breast cancer in a case-control study in Tours, France. Int J Cancer. 2002;98:78-83.

15. Fritsche KL, Johnston PV. Effect of dietary alpha-linolenic acid on growth, metastasis, fatty acid profile and prostaglandin production of two murine mammary adenocarcinomas. J Nutr. 1990;120:1601,1609.

16. De Stefani E, Deneo-Pellegrini H, Mendilaharsu M, Ronco A. Essential fatty acids and breast cancer; a case-control study in Uruguay. Int J Cancer. 1998;76:491,494.

17. Newcomer LM, King IB, Wicklund KG, Stanford JL. The association of fatty acids with prostate cancer risk. Prostate. 2001;47:262-268.

18. Knudsen VK, Hansen HS, Osterdal ML et al. Fish oil in various doses or flax oil in pregnancy and timing of spontaneous delivery: a randomised controlled trial. BJOG. 2006 Mar 27 [Epub ahead of print].

19. Harper CR, Edwards MC, Jacobson TA. Flaxseed oil supplementation does not affect plasma lipoprotein concentration or particle size in human subjects. J Nutr. 2006;136:2844-8.

20. Paschos GK, Magkos F, Panagiotakos DB, et al. Dietary supplementation with flaxseed oil lowers blood pressure in dyslipidaemic patients. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007. (advance online publication 31 January 2007)

21. Pinheiro MN Jr, dos Santos PM, dos Santos RC, et al. Oral flaxseed oil ( Linum usitatissimum) in the treatment for dry-eye Sjogren's syndrome patients. Arq Bras Oftalmol. 2007;70:649-655.

22. Barre DE, Mizier-Barre KA, Griscti O, et al. High dose flaxseed oil supplementation may affect fasting blood serum glucose management in human type 2 diabetics. J Oleo Sci. 2008;57:269-273.

23. Gracious BL, Chirieac MC, Costescu S, Finucane TL, Youngstrom EA, Hibbeln JR.Randomized, placebo-controlled trial of flax oil in pediatric bipolar disorder. Bipolar Disord. 2010;12(2):142-154.

[Dalubaba]

Yes this is a vary comprehensive narration. I wonder whether you will throw similar light on the use of Flax seed and Flax seed oil.There are many websites on the internet. If important aspects  are given in a simple manner, it will prove useful to all community members.Dr.Budwig protocol is also an important work on Flax seed.Please do write on this subject.
Thanks.

[gymdandee]

I haven't used it but this I can tell you!
beta-glucan" refers to a class of soluble fibers found in many plant sources. The best documented use of beta-glucan involves improving heart health; the evidence for benefit is strong enough that the FDA has allowed a "heart healthy" label claim for food products containing substantial amounts of beta-glucan.1  Much weaker evidence supports the potential use of certain beta-glucan products for modifying the activity of the immune system.
It's not an essential nutrient. It is found in whole grains (especially oats, wheat, and barley) and fungi such as baker's yeast, Coriolus versicolor, and the medicinal mushrooms maitake and reishi.
Different food sources contain differing amounts of the various chemical constituents collectively called beta-glucan. Grains primarily contain beta-1,3-glucan and beta-1,4-glucan. Fungal sources contain a mixture of beta-1,3-glucan and beta-1,6-glucan. Purified products containing only the 1,3 form are also available.
A substantial, if not entirely consistent, body of evidence indicates that beta-glucan, or foods containing it (especially oats), can modestly improve cholesterol profile. The most reliable benefits have been seen regarding levels of total cholesterol and LDL ("bad") cholesterol. Modest improvements of up to 10% have been seen in studies. Possible improvements in HDL ("good") cholesterol have only been seen inconsistently. It is thought that beta-glucan reduces cholesterol levels by increasing excretion of cholesterol from the digestive tract. This affects two forms of cholesterol: cholesterol from food, and, more importantly, cholesterol from the blood "recycled" by the liver through the intestines. However, virtually all studies involved oats and were conducted by manufacturers of oat products; independent confirmation remains minimal.
Beta-glucan may also modestly improve blood pressure levels though not all studies agree.
beta-glucan may help limit the rise in blood sugar that occurs after a meal. This could, in theory, offer heart-healthy benefits, especially in people with diabetes.
The other primary proposed use of beta-glucan products involves effects on the immune system. in humans suggest that beta-glucans can alter various measurements of immune function. In the alternative medicine literature, these effects are commonly summarized as indicating that beta-glucan is an "immune stimulant." This description, however, is an oversimplification. The immune system is extraordinarily complicated and, as yet, incompletely understood. At the current level of scientific understanding it is not possible to characterize the effects of beta-glucan more specifically than to say that it has "immunomodulatory" actions, or that it is a "biological response modifier." These intentionally unsensational terms indicate that we merely know beta-glucan affects (modulates) immune function, not that it improves immune function.
Some of the immune-related effects seen in studies include alterations in the activity of certain white blood cells and changes in the levels or actions of substances, called cytokines, that modulate immune function.
Based on these largely theoretical findings, as well a small number of very preliminary human trials, various beta-glucan products have been advocated for the treatment of conditions as diverse as allergic rhinitis, cancer, infections, and sepsis (overwhelming infection following major trauma, illness, or surgery). However, the evidence for actual clinical benefit remains highly preliminary.
One study failed to find that beta-1,3-glucan (in topical gel form) helpful for treatment of actinic keratosis, a form of sun-induced precancerous changes seen in aging skin. Another study found that it had no significant effect on periodontal disease (gingivitis), an inflammation of the gums caused by bacteria found in dental plaques.
For improving total and LDL cholesterol, studies have found benefit with beta-glucan at doses ranging from 3 to 15 grams daily. However, benefits have been seen more consistently at the higher end of this range, and one carefully designed study found no benefit at 3 grams daily.
Beta-glucan products can contain molecules of various average lengths (molecular weight). Some manufacturers claim superior benefits with either high or low molecular weight versions. However, one study failed to find any difference between high molecular weight and low molecular weight beta-glucan for normalizing cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
Beta-glucan, as a substance widely present in foods, is thought to have a high margin of safety. However, if it really does activate the immune system, harmful effects are at least theoretically possible in people with conditions where the immune system is overactive. These include multiple sclerosis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, and hundreds of others conditions. In addition, people taking immunosuppressant drugs following organ transplantation surgery could, in theory, increase their risk of organ rejection. However, there are no reports as yet to indicate that any of these hypothetical problems have actually occurred. Maximum safe doses in young children, pregnant or nursing women, or people with severe liver or kidney disease have not been established.  
Reference: From my son