Beta glucans - the active ingredient of medicinal mushrooms for healthy immunity

Even if you manage to put together a super healthy and body-friendly routine, eat wholesome food - it is not always possible to avoid stress, low-quality sleep or the body going on strike for various reasons. Sometimes life just happens... This can prevent our immunity from working optimally and protecting us from all kinds of viruses, bacteria and other organisms that can make us sick.

Medicinal mushrooms and one of their main active substances - beta glucans - can help us here. Beta glucans are biologically active substances whose main superpower is the maintenance of a healthy immune system, otherwise known as an immunomodulating effect. Therefore, if our immune system is "sleeping" or weakened, beta glucans activate it. However, if the immune system is overactive (especially relevant for patients with autoimmune diseases), beta glucans "turn it off". In short, beta glucans help balance our immune system. This effect of beta glucans is also relevant when dealing with cancerous (oncological) diseases. Research shows that beta-glucans are better for cancer treatment than conventional treatments alone.

It is true that beta glucans are not only found in mushrooms. They can be found in oats and other cereal crops, some algae. So why should we use medicinal mushrooms instead of just eating more oatmeal? The beta glucans found in different products differ in their structure, and the different structure determines different effects on our body. As for strengthening immunity, the more branched the structure of beta-glucan, the better it contacts and activates the body's defense cells, that is, it has a greater immunomodulating effect. The beta-glucans found in oats have simpler, linear structures, while the beta-glucans in mushrooms are much more branched. Therefore, medicinal mushrooms and the beta-glucans they contain could be a better choice for optimal functioning of our immune system.