Polysaccharides
What is a Polysaccharide?
Polysaccharides are carbohydrate structure made of many simple sugars called monosaccharides.
Mushrooms are well known rich in polysaccharides which bring benefit to human immune system.
What is the function of polysaccharides?
Studies shown that polysaccharides in certain mushrooms can activate immune cells and inhibit tumor growth. Polysaccharide boost immune system to produce natural killer cells, interferon and interleukins to kill cancer cells in order to maintain balanced immune health. Today, polysaccharide-rich mushrooms are also widely used in antiviral.
What are immunomodulating Polysaccharides?
Polysaccharides are present in both the plant and animal kingdoms. They are, at the simplest level, complex carbohydrates made up of monosaccharides joined together by glycosidic bonds. Several major polysaccharides can modulate the immune system. These polysaccharides are often associated with mushrooms. Multiple studies have been done over years, showing that mushrooms are exceptionally rich in polysaccharides.
What are the many functions of immunomodulating Polysaccharides?
Polysaccharides work to help directly influence our immune system so that we can defend ourselves against cancer, and viral or bacterial infections. It helps enhance our immune cells by helping them work or by helping them regenerate a little bit faster.
Has any research been done on polysaccharides?
There are hundreds of thousands of research papers on polysaccharides published throughout the world. Even as early as the 1980s, the Japanese Pharmaceutical Council has recognized and approved lentinan, a polysaccharide found in shiitake mushrooms, as an adjunct for chemotherapy. It is used as a biological response modifier for the treatment of stomach cancer.
Many other polysaccharides are undergoing further research and studies to evaluate their use in treating diseases, such as cancer.
