Immuna™: Immune-Enhancing β-glucan from AGG

Guest: Dr. Emi Hosoda, for Immuna Beta Glucan from Anderson Global Group

Host: Danielle Lin, C.N. -Science of Your Life

19 Minutes 37 Seconds

Danielle: Hello, welcome. I’m Danielle Lin and this is Science of Your Life, a series of podcasts and books designed to educate you on the world’s leading brands of clinically proven nutraceutical and lifestyle ingredients highlighting the premier companies in their categories with innovations, science-based results, sustainability, and most important transparency. A library is designed to help you navigate the maze of ingredients to create a perfect match if you are a formulator, a developer, or marketer entering or expanding in the multi-billion-dollar nutraceutical, cosmeceutical, and functional food and beverage industries. There is a systemic health problem growing worldwide that is rising to the top of all health concerns today. It’s being caused by exposure to environmental pollutants, pharmaceuticals, stress, and even chemicals brewing in homes across the planet. The human immune system is breaking down faster than science can keep up with. Prevention (not cure) is the logical conclusion. In that race to meet that need for immune enhancement, support, and protection alternative options are not only being explored, they are proving to have life-enhancing effects. Today we’ll learn about one of the most powerful and potent immune ingredients naturally derived, backed by years of research, clinically proven, and is even registered as a pharmaceutical to help save lives. Immuna from GlycaNova is the highest quality, solid, Beta Glucan nutraceutical product expanding in the global market today proven to enhance and optimize the immune system. It is distributed by Anderson Global Group. So, what makes Immuna different, unique from all other Beta Glucan products and what does science indicate for addressing the health crisis? Health Immune Care is the fasted growing sector in all of the industries across this area of health. Joining us is Dr. Emi Hosoda, a board-certified physician in Internal Medicine with a degree in Molecular Biology with post-graduate education in Holistic Health and Functional Medicine. Working with a full spectrum of healing modalities from conventional, complementary, allopathic therapies, and integrative medicine her long lineage of respected physicians is carried forward with her thriving private practice focused on wellness and women’s health care. She is also a hospital care specialist working with acutely ill patients in a large medical organization in the Pacific Northwest. It’s quite an impressive mix and a robust background. I know, Dr. Hosoda, you like to be called Dr. Emi, so I will honor that. Welcome, Dr. Emi, it’s nice to have you with us.

Dr. Emi: Thank you very much. I’m very honored to be here.

Danielle: Thank you. It’s exciting because we’ve talked a lot about this industry and I guess, intriguing enough, after we’ve done these interviews and conversations for so many years, I really didn’t realize that the immune sector of the industry is the biggest and fastest growing and I’m not sure…is it because it’s the biggest problem or is it just the best marketing?

Dr. Emi: It’s probably a little bit of both but it’s a huge issue because (of course) everyone is exposed to infections. Nowadays there’s a growing sector of Auto-Immune Disease so when you talk about the immune system you are really talking about something that everyone is facing and so the two biggest name-brand products that are sold happen to be immune products. So, it is a huge part of the natural health industry.

Danielle: Yeah, you would think it was heart health and we are hearing so much about diabetes, but this is fascinating. So, today I mentioned Immuna and we’re going to talk about what that is and the ingredient because I’ve heard of Beta Glucan. For years it’s been around. I’m not sure that it has had enough light because after I started looking at the clinical research and the studies I was incredibly impressed, again, learning more. So, let’s talk about Immuna and give us some background.

Dr. Emi: Well, Immuna is (as you mentioned) the Beta Glucan and the class has been around for many years and has many different studies. Beta Glucans are basically a compound of glucose, a big polynaseglucose, and they exist in the cell walls of yeast, fungi, or seaweed. Now, the classic way to use Beta Glucans in traditional medicine has been mushrooms, as you know in Chinese medicines and the derivatives of Eastern medicine that comes from it, mushroom is the classic type of Beta Glucan that has been used in traditional medicine.

Danielle: So, what we’re going to do throughout this time together is we’re going to break down the health condition (obviously we’re talking about immune) and what the studies show about the quality of life and well-being. This is what makes this conversation different. We can talk about science but when it comes to the quality of life, that’s what matters. I’m Danielle Lin. We are talking about Immuna from Anderson Global Group.

I’m joined with Dr. Emi. I am Danielle Lin, and this is Science of Your Life. We’re talking about Immuna, I-M-M-U-N-A. It is a registered, patented formulation and we’re going to talk about it in relationship with Beta Glucan and immune health. Dr. Emi, let’s continue with the whole conversation about some of the studies and everything around Beta Glucan.

Dr. Emi: There has been a lot of different studies around Beta Glucan that covers a whole gambit of issues including immune health. We are talking about bacteria and fungi here. We are talking about skin and bone health. We are talking about muscular health. In Japan Beta there is a Beta Glucan that is used as an IV medication that’s called AjinomotoLentin. This is used with chemotherapy and with other therapies for cancer in Japan. So far, this drug was sort of the gold standard in the beta glucan class, however, GlycaNova has done research comparing Immuna to Ajinomotoand in these studies, they showed a stronger immune response in a few different categories. So, it’s really kind of a second-generation Beta Glucan and we’ll get into why it is different and what makes it second generation but some of the categories that they looked at in comparing these two, mind you that the GlycaNova product is orally absorbed and has great oral absorption studies so it’s not a medication you are going to give somebody in

an IV. It’s something that works very well in formulations at a milligram to half a milligram dose but it’s safe up to 40mg dosage in the studies. The categories they looked at were the activation of natural killer cells, increasing interleukins (which are the modulators of immunity), increasing interferon (which everyone has probably heard of that as medication but again a natural compound increasing interferon, increasing lymphocyte activated killer cells which are sometimes called NK Cells, depression of Prostaglandin and an increased T-Cell differentiation and suppressor T-Cell activity so that basically you are balancing the immune system and that is what’s really important to understand about the GlycaNova product is that it’s not something that’s just an immune stimulant, it’s an immune balancer. So, it’s not going to over-stimulate the immune system, it’s going to take the immune system where it needs to go to fight viruses and bacteria. In fact, there are some studies to show that there are auto-immune mechanisms that are favorably affected by taking the Immuna, the GlycaNova Beta Glucan.

Danielle: I noticed even looking at the Canadian certifications and registration that different countries have stricter, more stringent regulations. It seemed to get a gold light there. When you look at it in comparison in this country (where you may be listening) this is not a pharmaceutical, but if you come into a category where you are really needing to enhance or optimize the immune system it’s really a profound breakthrough that GlycaNova has come across.

Dr. Emi: It is very much so and the breakthrough really comes in the patent and manufacturing process that they use. I’m always looking for something that is pure for patients and has good studies because when you are in clinical practice, of course, the study counts. What’s different about the Beta Glucan in GlycaNova is that it’s extracted to a patented process. They basically extract the Beta Glucan from the mushroom side wall. Therefore, it’s not just a powdered mushroom extract like many of the products in this category are. What’s also unique about it is that it has a triple-helical structure so GlycaNova has done studies where they preserve the structure in the triple helix and showed much more activity in the things we have talked about in the natural killer cell activity, the interferon activity in the triple helix. Then they have taken an enzyme and broken down that triple helix and the activity goes away. It becomes more like the other Beta Glucans which are helixes including the Ajinomoto product, a single helix. When you break down the triple helix you go back to a less-effective product as far as looking at these markers of immunity. So, that’s one of the things that’s unique about this product and the other is their oral absorption studies. I would say the studies of lifestyle are also quite impressive.

Danielle: When we come back we are going to talk about what was in the studies in more depth. I’m Danielle Lin, we’re talking with Dr. Emi and we are discussing Immuna.

We are continuing talking, this is Science of Your Life with Dr. Emi and we are talking about the area called Beta Glucan and in this case the branded, patented ingredient Immuna. It is distributed by Anderson Global Group but if you want more science and backbone you can go to GlycaNova’s website and glycanova.com and you can also

Google Immuna and it will take you through the pathways to find more information. Critically important if you are working in the immune category as a practitioner or even as a formulator or developer. Dr. Emi, you were talking about the study, the single helix Beta Glucan, and then we spoke a little about how size does matter when it comes to Beta Glucans.

Dr. Emi: Absolutely. That is true. Size does matter. So, with Beta Glucans, when you look at most of the Beta Glucans out on the market most of them will have a molecular weight of 4 or below (about 90% will). Immuna has a molecular weight in the 5 range. So, it has a much bigger molecular weight on average, when you take the Beta Glucan product as a whole ingredient. This helps in two different ways. One is the absorption is better with the bigger molecule which (as you said) is a little bit counter-intuitive but it held up in the studies that it is very well absorbed orally which isn’t the case in most Beta Glucans that have injection site studies. Number two is that is really helps a lot more on those parts of immune modulation that we were looking at before, things like increasing Interleukins, things like making sure that natural killer cells are working at their best. Suppression of prostaglandin is actually very important because it kind of speaks to the fact that this is an immune modulator because prostaglandins increase information. So, in this case, you are going beyond immunity and looking at inflammation. So, the size of matter does have very big clinical impact. That translates into the studies we’ve mentioned before in looking at quality of life because this is one of the few products that I got very excited about when I looked at these quality of life studies. Why? Because patients and consumers will take something that is giving them benefits and they perceive the benefit in the way that they feel. They might be taking something that is very good for them but if they don’t perceive the benefits for themselves they will probably quit taking it. What GlycaNova did was take a group of sick volunteers which considered themselves tired (so as their illness they considered themselves tired) and a group of people who considered themselves healthy for 8 weeks they got the standard dose of Immuna (which is 1 mg). These people, after 8 weeks, reported that they had specifically significant improvement in 8 quality of life measures. Two that really stood out for me were doing women’s health (and women are the biggest consumers of natural products) and women felt that they had less stress. So, without giving them something that is going to be medication type anti-depressant or something to reduce their stress they are taking an immune product and they are reporting they are feeling less stress. So, that was one thing that really stood out for me. The second thing that stood out to me in the quality of life studies were improved sleep because sleep is one of those things that are kind of the Holy Grail in natural health. It’s hard to get good sleep out of any product that is natural and then when you go to the medicinal you have multiple side effects and so something that gives you improved sleep is something people will notice and will go back to. So, we’ve talked about all of the wonderful immune effects that it has, that it’s used as an immune modulator, it’s for helping to police the immune system for stuff that shouldn’t be there, for viruses and bacteria, heightening the immune system, a better deal with these things but when it comes back to are you actually going to get people to take this product, I think these quality of life studies distinguishes this product from many other health care products that are out there for natural health.

Danielle: Yeah, and at first glance you think quality of life, it’s kind of a soft title. Everybody wants studies and clinicals. What I love about this Beta Glucan from GlycaNova is that it’s low dose and when you start looking at whether you are putting it in a yogurt or gum or drinks or liquids or tablets or capsules, we’re going to talk more about that delivery and how effective it is and the unique difference when you start looking at Immuna versus all other Beta Glucan products. I’m Danielle Lin, we are talking with Dr. Emi. This is Science of Your Life.

We are continuing with Science of Your Life and we are talking about Immuna, a patented, registered ingredient, Beta Glucan. You might be familiar with it but Immuna has such clinical research right now substantiating its unique difference. I’m going to spell the company that is delivering the Beta Glucan and nutraceutical products. It’s GlycaNova, GLYCANOVA. At glycanova.com you’ll find out more information there. If you would like to make contact to learn more about designing products, developing products, and the kind of knowledge you really need to get into the marketplace which is this exploding category of immune health you can write to…send an email to jons@andersonglobalgroup.com. Jon Scott is the director over there that you can make contact and he can coordinate the efforts. Also, I want you to know about this product, that it is GRAS, generally recognized as safe. It’s a novel food recognized in Europe. It’s product licensed in Canada. So, this is global. Health claims in Canada (which is also unique) and patented protected. So, Dr. Emi, one of the things that I know is important when you are formulating (and I mentioned you can put it in all different categories whether it’s tablets or capsules) is the stability of this particular product.

Dr. Emi: Yes, that is really a great thing about Immuna is that it is very stable at basically any ph. You can put it in anything except alcohol so whether you are talking a yogurt, a drink, a capsule, it’s stable in all of those forms. You know, the liquid, it can be put into a gel cap. The powder can be used in multiple different ways. So, the formulator is nice in that you don’t have to worry about restrictions on what you can mix it with or where the pH needs to be.

Danielle: Well it grabbed me, certainly as a woman, and as you said women are buying and doing a lot of this work, men are waking up to it and it’s very critical, but everybody is affected by immune health. When you look at the sleep category and the stress category, at the latest convention I went to they said they believed categorically that the stress area of health (which breaks down immune) will be larger than heart health. I mean, it’s just astounding. Beta Glucan has been such a sleeper, like I mentioned earlier. What GlycaNova has done, I really believe we are going to see a major breakthrough in this category.

Dr. Emi: I don’t think this excludes effects from heart health because, you know, there’s so many studies showing if someone goes into the hospital with a pneumonia they are so much more likely to have, for instance, a heart attack. When you are helping someone with their immune system you are really helping all categories.

Danielle: And, in this case, bone health.

Dr. Emi: Yes.

Danielle: I was surprised yesterday, I was learning about the relationship between chemotherapy my friend is having right now, and they immediately were going to put her on some bone medications. I was, this seems like the natural approach that may be more balanced for protecting the immune with the Immuna.

Dr. Emi: Yes, that’s true, and Beta Glucan, in general that class does have some studies for bone health. So, it is something to think about also.

Danielle: As a practitioner practicing at the hospital level are you seeing the breakthrough at the medical level with nutraceuticals in the way that we could or should have seen before?

Dr. Emi: It’s very slow, especially where I practice in the United States. I think some countries, for instance, Germany, have embraced what you can do with more natural compounds and use them more regularly. We talked about Japan and that Ajinomoto product which is an IV Beta Glucan although it is a single helix and must be injected but it has gotten into the healthcare system and the United States is kind of slow going. I mean, you know, we’re sort of seeing people say, okay, well maybe we should have probiotics on the hospital formulary or something like that but to me it would be so amazing to get something like this on the hospital formulary that has so many great studies about being able to modulate the immune system to help fight viruses, bacteria, to help people feel better and so I wish we had a more open health system and hopefully we will get there some day.

Danielle: Yes, well we hope with, and we intend with the Science of Your Life series that doctors, practitioners, formulators, developers, marketers, all understand that immune health care is fast growing. It’s critically important. If you look for something in the marketplace you want to look for Immuna. IMMUNA, the registered, patented ingredient for Beta Glucan and go to GlycaNova.com for more science. Anderson Global Group is the distributor. Again, let me give you the email. Jons@AndersonGlobalGroup.com. It is Jon Scott and you can learn more at how you can formulate with Immuna. I’m Danielle Lin. Thanks, Dr. Emi, for being here. It has been our pleasure.

Dr. Emi: Thank you so much for having me. It was great to be able to talk to you about this.

Danielle: This is Science of Your Life.