The immune system is an amazing force, capable of intricate functions that science still cannot comprehend. The immune system is made up of a network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to protect the body. One of the important cells involved are white blood cells, also called leukocytes, which come in two basic types that combine to seek out and destroy threatening organisms or substances. The natural instinct is to want to “boost” the immune both on a daily basis, and during times of greater exposure to potential threats.
But our immune system can also become too strong and actually turn on the body, causing inflammatory responses and immune challenges. So while our culture is used to prescription solutions and quick fixes, it’s important to understand that the immune system is much more intricate than that. We can’t just take something to boost the immune system. It takes more than just increasing the amount of cells to really improve and protect health. (1)
Instead, we can recognize what drags the immune system down and take steps to help it function more efficiently. I like to call it bolstering the immune system.
What Inhibits the Immune System?
At its optimum levels, the immune system targets foreign invaders for deactivation or destruction and removal from the body. After identifying an intrusion, increased fluids bring white blood cells and immune cells (T-cells) to combat it, along with an increase in temperature locally or throughout the body. This is called inflammation and is actually a good thing in this context.
The immune system can be slowed in its responses or made overactive, both of which can inhibit its ability to target and attack real threats.
A few factors in particular can inhibit effective immune responses:
- Poor diet
- Mental and emotional stress
- A sedentary lifestyle
- Inadequate sleep
The body has to process, distribute, and respond to everything that we consume. One classic study in particular demonstrated the effect that sugar consumption has, especially on the immune system.
When sugary drinks were consumed, the immune system operated about half as well as it should have, and this deficiency extended for at least five hours after the sugar was consumed. (2) Similarly, an overabundance of omega-6 fatty acids – found in processed carbs and meats – can create inflammatory responses throughout the body, causing discomfort and threats to long term wellness. (3)
Lifestyle factors, both physical and mental, can also affect the immune system. Closely linked with neurological and hormonal functions, immune response is altered when we are under heavy stress or are not recovering well with good sleep habits. (4, 5) A sedentary lifestyle can also lead to sluggish body systems, and the immune system is no exception. (6)
Bolstering the Immune System
Immune response is definitely an example of a case where you can have “too much of a good thing.” When the immune system overreacts, it attacks healthy tissue with inflammatory responses.
We often say we want to boost the immune system, when what we really mean is that we want to support the immune system and its healthy responses. Just as diet and lifestyle can alter the immune system negatively, we can use those same principles to find simple ways to bolster the immune system.
Diet. Nutrition is the first tool to put in your toolbox for a balanced body and healthy life. When cold and flu season approaches or you gear up for vacation, attention to the food and drink you consume can make or break your immune responses as you are exposed to more threats.
Minimizing sodas, sugars, and other processed carbs can keep your immune system alert and focused on threats of foreign invaders.
Try incorporating these foods to maximize immune-boosting antioxidants and keep the system balanced and fed (7):
- Berries
- Artichoke
- Beans
- Cherries
- Plums
Getting a wide range of fresh fruits and vegetables, with high quality meats only a few times per week, can also help to balance omega-3 and omega-6 to keep inflammatory responses where they’re needed. (8)
Another diet factor that can contribute to immune health is the state of the gut. Having enough good bacteria to balance out offending bacteria can help the immune system to function well. (9) Gut health can be improved by consuming high-fiber foods, taking probiotics, and avoiding processed foods.
Lifestyle. The way we treat our body helps to determine how the body can work for us. We run ourselves ragged with too little sleep, too much stress, and unstable exercise patterns. By making simple changes to improve these habits, we can make great strides in immune efficiency.
Stress is a major culprit of immune inhibition. (10) Most stresses in the Western world are perceived – our body is reacting as though we are fighting for our lives, but it might actually be financial, interpersonal, or simply not giving ourselves a break. In order to lessen this perceived stress, we might:
- Practice mindfulness
- Incorporate meditative relaxation methods, such as yoga
- Create a more balanced schedule
- Prioritize adequate sleep
Without enough sleep, we don’t allow the brain and immune system enough time to interact. (11).
Simply creating a period of restfulness before bed and enjoying a full night of sleep can help to bolster the immune system, particularly during times when threats are more likely.
Finally, exercise is a factor in immune health, but it is another area where balance is important. Very strenuous exercise can be too hard on the immune system, while a sedentary life can slow it down. Moderate exercise, on the other hand, helps to keep the body running smoothly. (12)
Consistency is more important than harsh or heavy calorie burning, allowing your body to adapt to the habit and utilize the efforts most efficiently. Walking, jogging, swimming, and yoga are examples, but you will need to find what is most enjoyable and sustainable for your life.
Supplements. Of course, there is always a place for supplementation in our modern lives, and vitamins, minerals, and herbs have been used for generations and even centuries to help to bolster immune effectiveness. After balancing the diet, reducing stress, recovering with sleep, and energizing with exercise, consider these supplements for their stress-reducing and immunomodulatory effects:
Still have questions?
Our ACES Team is always there to help.
References
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-to-boost-your-immune-system
- https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article-abstract/26/11/1180/4732762
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22390701/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25327322/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25542734/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25238479/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25698357/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25244229/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3725482/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16621326/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12498102/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23212119/
FAQ
For more information about beta glucan, Better Way Health and more, visit our FAQ page. To speak to an Amazing Customer Experience Specialist, give us a call at 800.746.7640or email us at hello@betterwayhealth.com
Our Beta Glucan goes through a rigorous purification process developed by the creator: AJ Lanigan. Once this purification process takes place, only about 10% of a given “batch” meets our 85% minimum purity standard. The “scraps”, so to speak (the other 90% of the batches), are then sold off and marketed by other companies. In addition, the product has been tested time and time again to prove its efficacy. When compared to other heavily marketed immune system products, our product comes out on top every single time. These comparison studies are conducted by a disinterested third party researcher at the University of Louisville: Dr. Vaclav Vetvicka. In these studies, immune response levels are safely tested on both humans and animals. Our product is also Non-GMO and encased in a Vegan, plant-based capsule.
-Better Way Health
Better Way Health Beta Glucan is certainly one of the most renowned brands out there in the marketplace. In our world of immune system support, when you ask “What’s the best immune system supplement out there?”; well, the Better Way Health name is the most recognized.
Anyone who has spent time reviewing side-by-side comparisons of our product with, again, just about any other kind of immune compound; regardless of the source, you’re going to find that Beta Glucan 500 by Better Way Health outperforms all competitors. This has been the case for years; this is not a new phenomenon that conclusive research done by disinterested third parties in major universities and teaching hospitals all over the world agree that the potency of Glucan 500 makes it 100% the leading immune system product available.
-AJ Lanigan
The immunomodulating aspects of Beta Glucan is what makes it safer and more efficacious than the competition. Studies confirm our Beta Glucan is the most effective immune system product on the market, including even other beta glucans. The patented purification process developed by AJ Lanigan is what makes our Beta Glucan more biologically active and beneficial to consumers.
-Better Way Health
This is rather easy to answer. Our Beta Glucan has one really big advantage in that it is the most studied natural immonomodulator of them all. The biological studies number in the tens of thousands. For most other products, you may find 10 to 15 studies. If you have 10,000+ papers from all around the world, that cannot be ignored.
-Dr. Vaclav Vetvicka
We did a couple of studies and we published them comparing some individual glucans to individual immune-modulators like Echinacea. That is one example, most of the clinical studies on that plant failed because one company is using leaves, one is using roots and each has a different quality inside so you never know what you get.
With the "mixture" type products, it is even worse because some manufacturers are just trying to either increase the price by putting five things together, so it’s not 30 bucks it’s now $50. None of these manufacturers are actually doing any research on the combinations of their ingredients.
-Dr. Vaclav Vetvicka
This topic is like comparing Super Bowl Champions (Better Way Health Beta Glucan) to Recreational Sports Teams (the competition). There is practically no comparison; when you look at the average Immune System Product on the market, even an abundance of it may only be able to raise your Immune Response 2 to 3 percent. That increase, however, may be costing you thousands of dollars; thus, I would not consider that to be much of a comparison. For about 1$ a day, with our Glucan 500 product, you can get your immune response up to about 60% (double the innate human immunity): no one can compete with that efficacy.
-AJ Lanigan
Beta Glucan has been studied for over 50 years at major universities and teaching hospitals, all of which are disinterested third party researchers. There are more than 150,000 glucan studies on PubMed.gov and nearly 50,000 studies involving glucans and humans. Our Beta Glucan specifically has been featured in over 20 medical journals, including the prestigious American Journal of Immunology and the Journal of Medicinal Food.
-Better Way Health
There are more than 150,000 studies on Glucan that you can find on Medline and PubMed. Roughly, you can also find 50,000 studies on Glucans and their interaction with Humans. Throughout these studies, there has never been an adverse side effect found with our Beta Glucan.
-AJ Lanigan
Other than the thousands of studies out there, there is an excellent book by Dr. Vaclav Vetvicka from the University of Louisville entitled, Beta Glucan: Nature’s Secret. It’s about 157 pages and provides a quick, educational read for those interested in everything Beta Glucan: the history, safety, benefits, and mechanism of action of Beta Glucan. The bibliography included in the book provides dozens of other peer-reviewed articles and journals for curious consumers.
-AJ Lanigan
If somebody goes to PubMed.Gov or some kind of scientific database, there is about 150,000 hits now and about 50 new papers appear every week. The research is really booming.
-Dr. Vaclav Vetvicka
Anyone / anything with an immune system can benefit from taking Beta Glucan, including both humans and pets. Our immune system is our first line of defense and it can always use additional “soldiers.” Keep in mind that our Beta Glucan makes a person’s immune system smarter and stronger, but never causes overstimulation or harm. There are no known side effects.
-Better Way Health
“Anyone who is living can benefit from a healthier Immune System” – A.J. Lanigan
People who want proper support for their Immune System should use this product. People who simply want to maintain or regain their good health can benefit from this product as well.
Many conditions, whether environmental or physical, put significant stress on the Immune System.
Infectious Disease, Cardiovascular Disease, Chemotherapy Treatment, Radiation, Allergies, Asthma, and Stress are all severely taxing on the body. This type of suppression and depression of the immune system is what puts everyone’s health person at risk. Be proactive; take a product that benefits your overall health by enhancing your body’s own natural ability to stay well and recuperate.
That’s right, anyone and everyone can benefit from the immune modulating effects of Beta-1, 3D Glucan.
-AJ Lanigan
For people who are under heavy stress or are just working in some kind of extreme conditions, they need all the help they can get. Proactive supplementation is also recommended for Flu and Cold seasons
-Dr. Vaclav Vetvicka
For maximum immune response, take one 500mg capsule per 50 lbs. of body weight. For example, if you weigh around 150 lbs. you would need to take 3 capsules per day. All capsules should be taken first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. After taking your capsules, wait 30 minutes before eating or consuming other products. If you forget to take your capsules in the morning it is safe to go ahead and take your Beta Glucan during the day, although the benefits will not be as significant. Remember, these dosage instructions are for maximum immune response, any dose (i.e., 1 capsule per day) is still extremely beneficial.
-Better Way Health
Maximum dose is based on body weight: Remember, your weight in kg’s is your weight in pounds divided by 2.2. For example, a 220lb person is 100kg. The guideline for maintaining good health is 2mg/kg of body weight per day. For the 220 pound person mentioned above, who is 100kg, they should take 200mg per day and that would be extraordinarily effective Immune Support.
For people who want or need additional immune support, there is a 500mg capsule. The recommendation for this group is 20 mg/kg/day or a 500mg capsule for every 50 pounds of body weight. Thus, a 100kg person (220lb) would take 4 capsules of the 500mg per day; for a 110 pound person, two capsules of the 500mg Beta Glucan would suffice. If your weight does not calculate out to an exact dose, round up or down depending on your needs; or you can average it out by taking 1 capsule one day and 2 the next.
The point is, the product is safe and you can be flexible with dosage if you reflect the guidelines above. Even taking just 1 - 500mg capsule each day is an extremely beneficial dose.
-AJ Lanigan
For healthy people, 500 mg per day should be enough. If someone has repeated heavy infections, or, God forbid, a cancer or something like that; then you need a much larger dose.
Of courses it is not some strict measurement but for the normal size of guy 100 mg would be fine and if is a heavy infection, 500 to 1000 mg. If you have a cancer 1000 would be the best.
Neutrophils and monocytes in our blood live only for a couple of days. That is why you have a need for constant, daily, glucan consumption because they die and the new cells are appearing and then you need the glucan again to boost these immune cells.
-Dr. Vaclav Vetvicka
No, there are no known side effects pertaining to our Beta Glucan. There have been numerous safe human and animal studies showing the safety of Beta Glucan. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given our Beta Glucan GRAS rating, which means Generally Recognized as Safe under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. This certification is extremely hard to achieve especially when it comes to a dietary supplement.
-Better Way Health
You can absolutely take this product without worry! There have been multiple studies done on fully-healthy people looking at every health parameter you can imagine: organs, tissues, chemicals, brain function, etcetera.
No harmful effects were caused at any dosage level. Even people who were taking doses that were exponentially higher than any level we recommend, (some of the more exotic animal studies have doses that exceed 800X the recommended dosage) displayed 0 side effects whatsoever. As I am famous for saying, “unless you hit somebody in the eye with the bottle, there is no harm that can be caused by this product”
-AJ Lanigan
Beta Glucan enhances a person’s immune response in a safe way. The average person has about a 30% active immune response. When someone takes our Beta Glucan it raises that person’s immune response to 60%, and in some cases even more, if they are taking the maximum immune response dosage. This allows for your immune system to recognize cells that are both self and non-self more effectively. I’m sure you can imagine the benefits of walking around with a doubled immune response/immune system!
-Better Way Health
Beta Glucan enhances the immune system by improving the immune response when the immune system is confronted by something that does not belong. This could be a foreign body that it sees as “non-self,” something like a virus, a bacteria, a fungus form, a cancer or a parasite.
Our Beta-1, 3D Glucan is an intensely purified, highly active form of Beta Glucan; that, when taken orally with a glass of water, attaches to specific sites on the immune cells: the CR3 receptors. By attaching or binding to these specific sites, it activates these cells. It’s like putting the cells on “high alert” to the foreign bodies that they see as non-self. This process is referred to as immune modulation, not stimulation.
Immune stimulation presumably occurs with substances like Echinacea and Colostrum. Beta Glucan modulates or activates but doesn’t over stimulate, which is key to the safety of the compound. Research shows that our Beta-1, 3D Glucan is a highly effective immune modulator. It’s easily absorbed through, what we call, the Peyer’s Patches in the Small Intestine. Once these beta glucan “micro-particles” are taken up through this area in the small intestine, they will then be absorbed through phagocytosis or “gobbled up” by the immune cells in the gut.
They’ll travel around the body and it is the immune cells themselves that will digest and secrete the perfect molecule that binds to the CR 3 receptor and activates the immune system.
-AJ Lanigan
Beta Glucan is not temperature sensitive. If it is exposed to extreme hot or cold temperatures, the efficacy of the product will not be impacted. However, we do recommend keeping a close eye on your tracking information, which is sent to you via email with all orders. This way you know when your order will arrive and when you will be able to retrieve it from your mailbox or front door.
Our Beta Glucan is made in Wisconsin, USA and bottled / encapsulated in Oregon, USA.
Our highly purified Beta Glucan powder is encased in PLANTCAPS™, which is a Plant-based capsule made from pullulan – naturally fermented from tapioca.
After 50 years of research, our Beta Glucan has no known side effects, or interactions with a GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) rating by the FDA. It is one of the safest, most effective dietary supplements on the market.
Many women take our Beta Glucan while breastfeeding, to help support their immune system. Babies can also benefit from mom's immune system giving the best response possible.
However, if you have any concerns whatsoever, we recommend consulting with your health care professional before use, as a precautionary measure.
Beta Glucan Immune System Reviews
“Since using this product I noticed that I’m no longer experiencing morning sinus drainage and mucus, and I generally feel better.”
“I believe it has helped me keep my immune system strong. One cold in the last 6 years. No Covid!”
“Awesome! I always feel really good- I am not a youngster, at almost 68 still really active, still working a demanding job in a hospital, and I RARELY ever get any of the bugs that ...”
“I'm 80 years old. I've been taking this product for years and I can't recall the last time I was sick.”
“It works. Everyone I know has been sick with something. I have not even had the sniffles!”
“I have been an avid reader of medical journals for many years because of my desire to live as healthfully as possible. There is a sufficient amount of scientific evidence over a su...”
“Love the product, just taking a break for finance reasons.”
“This product is the best for who want to boost their immune system, I strongly recommend it.”
“I take it everyday first thing in the morning, and it helps my swollen joint pain in my left knee. ”
“taken daily for many years. Satified that it has given us a excellent immune system.”
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