Beta Max (Jarrow) Each bottle, 60 capsules, each capsule, 250 mg of at least 75% beta-1,3-glucan and beta-1,6-glucans. The particulate formulation is probably better than this, but this is less costly.

Beta glucans enhance the power of the immune system by activating a certain type of white blood cell known as macrophages. These cells patrol the body and fend off foreign invaders such as bacteria and fungi by engulfing them.

Research has shown that beta glucans also have a positive action on other white blood cells such as B-Lymphocytes, Natural Killer cells, and Suppressor T cells. The end outcome is that the body becomes better equipped at immune-mediated activities such as fighting off infection and combating cancer. Beta glucans have been used, therefore, in immune-compromised surgical patients to lower the rate of infection and both as a preventive measure against cancer and as an adjunct to chemotherapy.

Beta glucans are also well known to be effective in lowering blood lipid levels and is the key factor for why oat bran is so beneficial in this regard. Like other soluble fiber components, beta glucans work by binding cholesterol, facilitating its elimination from the body. Because beta glucans lower the bad LDL and increase the good HDL blood cholesterol levels, they are useful in preventing coronary heart disease.