Diet and Supplements

Throughout the last several years, beta-glucans have been gaining much attention due to the emergence of medicinal mushrooms in Western cultures. Across the country, studies have found that beta-glucans have been ubiquitous in the health food stores due to their immunomodulatory properties and cancer-protective effects. Since edible fungi have been known as the main source for beta-glucans, surprisingly though beta-glucan can be presented in a variety of foods like oats, barley, seaweeds, and yeast. Beta-glucan can also be found in dietary supplements for the body to consume.

Beta-glucan is technically a non-starch polysaccharide, a prebiotic fiber that is formed by β-1,3 and 1,6 glycosidic bonds. With beta-glucan, it can possess numerous health benefits depending on the molecular structure of each type of bond. Studies have shown that beta-glucans that are found in cereal grains can help lower cholesterol levels and can effectively bind serum cholesterol. Beta-glucans can even play a beneficial role in obesity, metabolic disorders, and other chronic non-communicable diseases. Since beta-glucans are a prebiotic fiber, research shows that they can play a significant role in promoting a healthy microbiome in the body. It means that beta-glucan can stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria species, mitigating pathogenic ones, and even modulating inflammation to optimize the gut environment in the body.

In traditional Chinese medicine, the herb astragalus has been used for thousands of years and has been known to strengthen chi or qi life force in the body. This herb has been known to be typically employed in conditions that are related to general weakness in the body like fatigue, anemia, a poor appetite, cardiovascular diseases, and other conditions that can weaken the body. Surprisingly though, astragalus can be used to optimize kidney health and, with the combination of ginseng and echinacea, can boost up the body’s immune system. There is a variety of astragalus that are native to Northeast Asia, and its roots need to be dried and powdered to be transformed to be consumed as a capsule or as a tea.

Studies have found that astragalus’s beneficial pharmacological effects might contain phytochemical components, which include a host of saponins polysaccharides and flavonoids that the body’s immune system needs to function correctly. Another study found that astragalus contains about twenty trace minerals that are highly important for the body. With astragalus extract, it has immune-modulating properties in vivo and in vitro in both animals and humans, and research shows that the herb stimulates and influences on the immune response cytokines while also leaving the inflammatory cytokines unaffected.

Some of the beneficial properties that astragalus can have on the body are still being researched; however, this Chinese herb can help the body to function correctly and are effective.

The body needs specific vitamins, minerals, and supplements from food, in order to function correctly. The variety of these nutrients can be found in healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains are precisely what the body needs. One of the essential nutrients that the body needs is antioxidants. Antioxidants help the body get rid of free radicals that can cause the body to become overly stressed and leading it to develop chronic illnesses. There is an antioxidant that can help the body and can be found in berries and pomegranates, and it is called astaxanthin.

Astaxanthin is a xanthophyll carotenoid that can be found in various microorganisms and marine animals. Astaxanthin is common for humans to apply and consume into the body while also being different. This red, fat-soluble pigment is quite different from the other kinds of food that contain carotenoids. Astaxanthin surprising does not contain vitamin A like all the other food containing carotenoids, and astaxanthin is an impressive antioxidant. Studies have shown that astaxanthin can not only be beneficial for the eyes but can provide nutritional support as well as having potential health-promoting effects in preventing and treating various diseases that can harm the body. Some of the various diseases that can harm the body when there is an excessive amount of free radicals can include:

• Various cancers
• Chronic inflammatory diseases
• Metabolic syndrome
• Diabetes
• Gastrointestinal diseases

Another study found that astaxanthin was superior to fish oil due to astaxanthin having the ability to enhance the body’s immune response and thus lowering the risk of vascular and infectious diseases that can harm the body, causing it to dysfunction.

Around eighty-eight percent of Americans are living with compromised metabolic health and becoming overweight or obese. Some people are typically healthy and take active measures to stay that way through a healthy diet, which consists of eating the right nutritional food and exercising regularly. While with others, they are consuming high sugar and fatty processed foods and are being inactive and not exercising. When people fall behind on trying to achieve a healthy lifestyle, they need some reliable backup evidence to help them get back on track.

With the constant flood of information about the latest trendy diet or superfood airs on television, the radio waves, or being adversities on the online web and newspapers, it might be challenging for patients to find the right help that they need amongst all the media outlets. Two things can help influence a person’s overall health by supporting a person’s immune system function and even maintaining a healthy gut microbiome. The supplement, arabinogalactan, which is sourced from the larch trees, is a compound that can fill both roles to support a healthy, functional body.