What Are Beta-Glucans and How Are They Related to Mushrooms?

In the health and wellness world, there’s A LOT of buzz around beta-glucans - for good reason. Hailed by many as a must-have, these polysaccharide fibers may be able to support the immune system, healthy stress levels, and stable digestion.* You know you want beta-glucans in your diet, you just don’t know that much about them.

Learn everything you’ve ever wanted to know about beta-glucans in this blog post!

What is a Polysaccharide?

Beta-glucans are a type of polysaccharide, which may mean something to you if you’ve recently taken a biology class but if not we’ll break it down for you.

A polysaccharide is a complex carbohydrate that’s found in all mushrooms. Unlike monosaccharides, polysaccharides are made of long chains of sugar molecules that are linked together. They are quite difficult for the body to break down and digest, which may sound like a bad thing but it’s actually good.

Polysaccharides are hard to break down because they contain so many nutrients that it simply takes longer for the body to digest them. This also means you stay full longer and your blood sugar stays more stable after ingesting them.* There are numerous polysaccharides out there, but they’re not all created equal. The specific polysaccharide that is believed to be the most “bioactive” are beta-glucans.*

What are Beta-Glucans?

Beta-glucans are sugars that are found in the cell walls of things like plants, bacteria, and fungi. Some foods that contain beta-glucans include:

• Mushrooms
• Oats
• Whole Grains
• Barley
• Seaweed

Not all beta-glucans are the same, different types have different branching structures. On the lab results for Mushroom Revival’s tinctures, we indicate with numbers what kind of beta-glucans are found in them. The numbers indicate the amount of “active linkage.”

Are Beta-Glucans Good For You?

There’s a reason everyone is so obsessed with beta-glucans! These unique complex carbohydrates have a vast range of potential health benefits.*

Some of them are:

• Beta-glucans may be able to support normal cell turnover and growth.*
• Beta-glucans support the body’s natural defense mechanisms promoting different functions within the immune system.* (2)
• Beta-glucans can help support healthy digestion and blood sugar levels within normal ranges.*

Where Can You Buy Beta-Glucans?

You can purchase organic mushroom tinctures with high levels of beta-glucans from Mushroom Revival! Try our Reishi Calm Tincture, Mushroom Mix Daily 10 Tincture, Lion’s Mane Focus Tincture, or Cordyceps Energy Tincture. To learn more about beta-glucans and the benefits they can have for you, check out the Mushroom Revival Blog and Mushroom Revival Podcast. There’s so mush more to know about these incredible polysaccharides!

DOI: 10.3390/foods5040080 DOI: 10.1186/1475-2891-13-38 DOI: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2011.00401