With winter approaching, it’s time to be proactive about boosting immunity to protect you and your family from illness and disease.
We all spend more time indoors during the colder months and that sets up a situation where infections can more easily spread among family members.
Now’s the time to take action to help keep your family well during the winter months.
Why Extra Immune Support is Needed
Almost everyone needs extra immune support because almost everyone today has a weakened immune system. This is a result of things that most of us experience every day, and which continually compromise the human immune system – stress, sugar, fatigue, toxins, and germs and viruses.
Did you know that when you consume sugar in any form it compromises your immune system for 6 hours? As sugar is in almost everything we consume, for most of us our immune system is only functioning properly for a few hours early in the morning. This is not enough to keep us protected from the harmful substances in the environment, and the illness and disease they cause.
Basically, everyone should be concerned about supporting their immune system and raising its ability to fight off foreign “invaders.”
What is Beta-glucan?
Beta-glucan is a form of soluble dietary fiber that’s strongly linked to improving immunity.
Beta-glucans form a natural component of the cell walls of bacteria, fungi, cereals such as oats and barley, and baker’s yeast.
Beta-glucans from the cell walls of baker’s yeast have shown to be the most effective form of beta-glucans to boost immunity and help protect against illness and disease.
Over 1,600 scientific studies from institutions, including Harvard Medical School, show the positive health benefits of beta-glucans. Many of these studies can be found on PubMed.gov
The 2 Parts of the Immune System
The immune system is the body’s defense system. It is made up of a network of cells, tissues and organs that all work together to protect us against pathogens (disease-causing microorganisms, such as viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi.) Pathogens cause infection when they enter the body and begin to multiply. Disease occurs when your body’s cells are damaged because of the infection. Then, the symptoms of illness occur.
The Innate Immune System
The innate (inborn, natural) immune system is our body’s first line of defense against pathogens. It protects against all pathogens.
The Adaptive Immune System
The adaptive immune system is the body’s second line of defense against pathogens. It adapts to a specific threat and can directly target a specific pathogen.
Benefits of Beta-Glucans
The health benefits of beta-glucans include:
- Supporting the innate immune system, the body’s first line of defense against illness and disease
- Providing antioxidant properties to fight against free radical damage to cells and tissues.
Free radicals are unstable molecules in the body and can cause large chain chemical reactions in the body because they react so easily with other molecules.
When there are more free radicals present than can be kept in balance by antioxidants, the free radicals can start doing damage to fatty tissue, DNA, and proteins in your body. Proteins, lipids, and DNA make up a large part of the body, so that damage can lead to a vast number of diseases over time, including neurodegenerative diseases and inflammatory diseases.
- Reducing inflammation in cells and body tissues.
The good news is that beta-glucans are available in supplement form so you can consume concentrated beta-glucans to support your immune system. Always ensure your supplements are high quality so they will be effective and worth the money you spend on them.