Safety and Efficacy of a Proprietary Undenatured Beta-Glucan on Different Human Populations

After proving safety in animal and human models, a series of clinical trials were conducted to examine the administration of 1 mg/mL bid of an undenatured beta-glucan on the immune system;and on self-perceived effects on subjects’ quality of life (QoL) using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). In one study, a subject population that was self-perceived to be fatigued was administered an undetaured beta-glucan, to determine if this supplementation affected their quality-of-life as a result of an increased immune system response. 44 subjects were administered 1 mg/mL bid of the undenatured beta-glucan (Lentinex®) for four weeks. Prior to the beginning of the administration, and following the four-week administration period, the subjects were asked to fill out a quality-of-life VAS questionnaire. The changes in the two questionnaires revealed differences that occurred as a result of the beta-glucan administration. More than 75% of the subjects scored “better” (more than 1 cm on the VAS) with regard to feeling in a good mood, and feeling rested. More than 60% increased their energy and reduced their tiredness and exhaustion, and 70% felt less stressed. In a second study, subjects aged 40 years and older, believed to be in good general health, seeking therapy for tiredness/exhaustion/fatigue or similar conditions (neurasthenia) which were administered 1 mg/mL bid Lentinex®. The overall results indicated that the subjects felt significantly better (mean VAS = 5.91) after the last week of the study compared to how they felt initially (VAS = 4.73) (p < 0.0001). A statistically significant (p < 0.0001) change in distribution favoring a better situation after 4 weeks intake of supplement, with a remarkable fall in number of subjects scoring below normal (from 61.4% to 18.2%) accompanied by a significant shift in subjects feeling above normal, from 9.2% to 50.0%. These clinical studies, and others, showed that Lentinex® administration improved the perceived quality-of-life of subjects whose immune system was probably not functioning at optimal levels.

The Positive Effects of Proprietary Undenatured β-Glucans on Stressed Marine Life

The safety of beta-glucans, including undenatured beta-glucan (UDBG), has been exhaustively studied over the recent past and has shown to be safe and efficacious in rodents as well as in humans with less than optimal immune systems. As such, we sought to find the effect of UDBG on certainly stressed crustaceans and fish. The survival of shrimp larvae fed the UDBG and other diets was measured on day 16. The diet containing 11.7% UDBG reduced larvae mortality by 18%;which is almost twice as much as the mortality reduced by the MacroGard diet, and up to 19.5% less than a standard Commercial Diet. In an effort to understand how UDBG protects against stressed marine life, UDBG was given to LPS-challenged trout. The UDBG positively influenced the level of transcription of several genes relevant to the immune system and overall health of the trout. The experimental findings indicated that UDBG: 1) modifies inflammatory responses, 2) makes responses more flexible and versatile, 3) protects from cellular stress, and 4) enhances “effector” mechanisms. Importantly, there was no evidence of immune system over-activity.

The Positive Effects of Proprietary Undenatured B-Glucans on Growing Pigs

Beta-glucan that is typically isolated from the fungi or yeast, by solvent extraction, is a commonly used supplement. However, the solvent extraction of beta-glucan from these sources destroys the tertiary structure of the compound, and reduces the immuno-stimulating efficacy of the denatured beta-glucan when compared to undenatured beta-glucan (UDBG1). The objective of this study was to investigate growth performance of piglets, from weaning, that received diets containing undenatured beta-glucan (UDBG) for the following four weeks (up to an average live weight of 26.4 kg). The study was conducted with 128 Noroc pigs from 24 litters at the experimental pig house of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. There were four dietary treatments;one group was fed a control diet containing no UDBG, three other groups were fed a diet containing 0.02 mg UDBG/kg, 0.2 mg UDBG/kg;or 2.0 mg UDBG/kg. In week 1 - 2, the pigs fed 2.0 mg UDBG per kg of feed gained 12% faster than the control diet. The numerical increase in weight gain during the first period after weaning is indicative of an improved immune status of the piglets fed the higher inclusion levels of the UDBG diets. Additionally, the piglets fed the highest level of UDBG (2.0 mg/kg) were found to have a better viability compared to the other groups, as determined by the Veterinary staff. No clinical problems related to the dietary treatments were observed. The animals revealed good growth and an average daily gain (ADG) for all pigs were 559 g for the overall experimental period. The growth performance was calculated for the two first weeks of the study, the remaining last two weeks of the study, and for the overall four-week experimental period. Significant effects of UDBG on weight gain and feed intake were found during the early weeks, but diminished later in the trial. The addition of UBDG to diets had a significant positive effect on several blood hematological parameters including the index of anisocytis, neutrophilic granulocytes, and lymphocytes. A significant positive linear effect of increasing dietary levels of UBDG was also found for hemoglobin and hematocrit.