Introduction to Beta Glucan Research
Beta glucan is a scientifically proven biological defense modifier (BDM) that nutritionally potentiates and modulates the immune response. As a supplement, after swallowing orally, Beta glucan is ingested primarily through macrophage and dendritic immune cells, to nutritionally and safely yield, through immune response potentiation and modulation, in many instances various therapeutic healing effects generated by the immune cells.
For many years Glucans have been investigated (History) for these immune enhancing properties, particularly their ability to activate macrophage immune cells and NK-Cells, plus in turn, the T-Cells, and B-Cells including selected cytokines and complement.
Poly-branched B-1,3-(D)-Glucans are naturally occurring polysaccharides, with or without B-1,6-(D)-glucose side chains, that are integral cell wall constituents in a variety of bacteria, plants and fungi. Glucan receptors to deliver non-self derived glucan to the immune response have been identified on macrophages, dendritic cells and other cells. The Beta-1,3-(D)-glucan with Beta- 1,6-glucan linkage extracted from yeast cell wall (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) has been shown to act as a potent non-specific immune-activator.
The scientific literature on glucans is voluminous over many decades, and there is also a considerable body of patent literature. This Index is not intended to be a complete compilation of all beta glucan research, but rather is keyed by health condition and targeted to research on yeast-cell-wall-derived Beta- 1/3,1/6-glucan.
This indexing format varies from standard research classified by "researcher(s)" to make finding applicable research to a specific health condition easier for both the scientific and nonscientific user.  As a note, particulate insoluble beta glucan is the glucan form in nutritional dietary supplements, while soluble glucans are primarily utilized in pharmaceutical applications.  Particulates are not generally safe as injectables.
 

The Key Determinants in Beta Glucan Effectiveness
Neither the volume nor weight of beta glucan determines effectiveness or optimum dosage, but rather the key determinant is the degree of activation of the immune response by any given glucan in a specific amount, determined by an acceptable scientific method.  In other words, more is not always better - judge by the extent to which the amount of beta glucan in a product enhances the immune response and not by the quantity of any given beta glucan in a capsule.
High milligram dosages and high percentages of beta glucan in a capsule are not determinants of immune response or ingredient purity and cell activation. The true determinants of immune response activation and effectiveness are beta glucan source, processing (including avoidance of reaggregation during digestion), sizing and uniformity of beta glucan particles ingested.
Several prior beta glucan studies used larger volumes of beta glucan than found in current effective oral beta glucan nutritional supplements, but these were not experiments designed to determine optimum dosage relative to the immune potentiation capabilities of a specific glucan and most were performed in the 1970's and 1980's.
Current science has demonstrated 10 mg or less of a properly processed and high quality Beta- 1,3/1,6-glucan or Beta-1,3-(D)-glucan with Beta- 1,6-glucan linkage extracted from yeast cell wall is a proper dosage amount (see "Dosage") with dosages above 100 mg of a quality processed glucan diminishing in immunopotentiality with increased amounts.
Lower quality, or glucans that reaggregate in the digestive process to non-uniform globular size, usually are sold in high milligram amounts that, without adequate immunopotentiation capability proven by independent laboratory testing, are minimally effective in any amount.  While generally inexpensive, these high milligram content capsules are inexpensive due to minimal processing to minimize detriments to beta glucan immunopotentiation and no efforts to reduce particle size to uniform microparticulate sizes of 1-2 microns.
Bigger and heavier are not a positive characteristic of Beta glucans and can indicate lower grade Beta glucans only minimally effective in immune response activation.  Lower grade Beta glucans must be provided in higher milligram amounts to be even minimally effective in immune response activation.
Marketing often hypes high milligram content or percentage of a capsule containing Beta glucan, but science measures only immune potentiation by the amount of Beta glucan actually contained; i.e. a small amount of high grade Beta glucan in a capsule is many times as effective in immune potentiation as a high volume of inferior Beta glucan.
Additionally, current research has conclusively demonstrated particulate beta glucan from yeast cell wall even when micronized to 1-2 microns prior to oral ingestion, reaggregates or clumps back together when subjected to water in the digestive process, yielding a much larger size glucan effective particle size for ingestion by the immune cells, similar to grapes in a bunch.
Ingestion is optimized by beta 1,3/1,6 glucans that are specially processed to prevent reaggregation that in turn yields maximum ingestion and nutritional potentiation of the targeted immune cells, normally the macrophages.  The immune response with non-reaggregated glucan particles ingested by macrophage or dendritic cells responds faster and in greater numbers to attack non-self in the form of pathogens.