Cancer and AHCC

What is AHCC?

AHCC (Active Hexose Correlated Compound) is a supplement made from medicinal mushrooms that have been fermented in rice bran. It is currently being used in 700 hospitals and clinics in Japan to treat a wide range of health conditions, from minor ailments such as colds and flu, to serious diseases such as cancer, hepatitis, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

AHCC works as a Th1 stimulator (increasing the strength of your immune system). The common underlining factor in ALL cancers is a compromised immunity. As a biological response modifier, AHCC turns the dial up on your natural immune response, helping you fight all kinds of threats to your health.

Proven Benefits of AHCC

In vivo and human clinical trials have shown that AHCC increases the Th1 immune response, by:

• Increasing the production of cytokines
• Increasing the activity of NK cells by as much as 300-800%
• Increasing populations of macrophages, in some cases doubling them
• Increasing the number of dendritic cells
• Increasing the number of T cells by as much as 200%

AHCC has been used in Japan with great success in cancer patients. Data from the treatment of over 100,000 individuals with various types of cancer have shown AHCC treatment to be of benefit in 60% of cases. That doesn’t mean the cancer disappeared; it means it helped. AHCC has been shown to be particularly effective for liver, lung, stomach, colon, breast, thyroid, ovarian, testicular, tongue, kidney and pancreatic cancers.

One landmark AHCC trial enrolled 269 patients with liver cancer. Following surgery, about half of the patients took AHCC and about half did not. The results were dramatic: At the end of the ten-year study, only 34.5% of the AHCC patients experienced a recurrence in their cancer, compared with 66.1% of the control group that did not take AHCC. Similarly, while 46.8% of the patients in the control group had died at the end of ten years, less than half that amount – 20.4% of those in the AHCC group had. Another study found that AHCC not only prolonged survival of advanced liver cancer patients, it also improved various parameters of quality of life, including mental stability, general physical health status and the ability to have normal activities.

An Immune System Primer

The immune system’s job is to protect you from harm. It is always scanning your body to determine if bacteria, viruses, toxins, parasites and other pathogens have entered your system or if any of your cells have mutated and become abnormal.

You have two basic types of immunity: innate and adaptive. Your innate immunity launches an immediate, non-specific attack against a threat. Your adaptive immunity takes longer to kick in, but produces a specific response to a particular microbe.

Key Players of Innate Immunity: Your First Line of Defense

• Cytokines: Chemical messengers that help immune cells communicate and coordinate an immune response
• Natural killer (NK) cells: White blood cells (WBC) that recognize and destroy infected or abnormal cells by injecting granules into them, causing them to explode
• Macrophages: WBC that engulf and ingest bacteria and cellular debris
• Dendritic cells: WBC that present foreign substances to B and T cells, initiating an adaptive response

There are some questions, you will know AHCC more

1. Is AHCC only for people who are sick, or can people who are generally healthy use it to keep their immune systems strong and balanced?
In today’s overly stressed world, AHCC may provide just the immune system boost you need. If you are generally in good health and want to keep your immune system strong and balanced, AHCC acts as an “insurance policy” against the bacteria, viruses, environmental toxins you encounter that can attack your immune system.

2. How much AHCC is recommended to maintain immune system health?
We recommend 1 gram a day as an “insurance plan” for general immune system maintenance and 3 grams a day as a therapeutic dosage if you are taking AHCC for specific conditions.

3. Can AHCC be used instead of conventional cancer treatments?
AHCC is not a cure for cancer, and any individuals with cancer should take advantage of the many conventional treatment options. AHCC offers complementary immune enhancing benefits to anyone preparing to undergo conventional cancer treatment, those patients currently in treatment or those who have completed treatment.

4. Can’t I just eat mushrooms to get the same benefits as AHCC ?
Whole mushrooms do have many beneficial nutrients, but AHCC is created from culturing selected mushrooms to produce a functional food that has a unique polysaccharide called acetylated alpha-glucan. Alpha-glucan has a low molecular weight that makes it easy to digest and absorb. This unique component possesses a powerful immune-stimulating action that ordinary mushrooms and other mushroom supplements do not contain.

5. Does every person who takes AHCC improve his or her immunity?
Studies to date show that AHCC can improve immunity for healthy individuals and for people challenged by various diseases. However, the immune system is a complex network so people respond differently. Keeping your immune system strong requires many helpers, and AHCC is just one of these supporters – although it’s a potent one.

6. Besides AHCC, are there other natural immune system boosters?
A number of nutritional and herbal supplements can boost the immune system and help keep it strong. That said, AHCC has probably undergone more intensive research then all of them.
Other supplements and ingredients to consider include: astragalus, echinacea, flavonoids (plant compounds such as Quercetin, and catechins found in green tea), probiotics (beneficial bacteria), reishi (another Chinese mushroom), vitamins C, D and E, and zinc. Before you take these, or any supplements, consult a healthcare professional first.