Got Any Proof? beta-glucan

Got Any Proof?
There’s been a ton of research on beta-glucan, with a good number of human studies. Take for instance what happened when patients (from 25 to 65 years old) were given beta-1,3-glucan over a 90-day period:

3.3 fewer sick days.
70% fewer upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) symptoms: runny nose, plugged nose, sneezing, sore throat, cough, hoarseness, head congestion, chest congestion, feeling tired, headache, body aches, and fever.
10 fewer URTI symptom days.
45% fewer URTI symptom episodes.
80% lower overall severity of URTI symptoms.
That’s just one study, but as of this writing, 17 other studies have found that people using beta-glucan had increased resistance against URTI. Another eight studies found that both recreational and elite athletes who used beta-glucan before intense exercise had a far smaller than normally seen decline in immune system functionality.

Other studies found that beta-glucan even helped allergy sufferers, reduced outbreaks of herpes, and even lessened the pain in osteoarthritis sufferers.

And here are a couple of layers of icing on the immunological cake: Age didn’t seem to be a factor in the efficacy of beta-glucan; it worked just as well in codgers as young people. Neither did the use of beta-glucan lead to any apparent side effects, which means it’s perfectly safe.