Active Hexose-correlated Compound (AHCC) is a mushroom extract that has been tested as an immune enhancing, liver protective and anti-cancer agent. AHCC was developed in Japan in 1989, and most of the studies with this compound have been conducted in Japan.

 AHCC, Source Naturals - 500 mg, 60 Capsules
Source Naturals AHCC (Active Hexose Correlated Compound) is a proprietary compound produced by cultivation and enzymatic modification of several species of mushroom mycelia, including shiitake, grown in rice bran extract.  Considered a superfood supplement in Japan, AHCC has been researched extensively for its immune enhancement properties.  According to human and animal research AHCC may increase natural killer cell activity.  AHCC may also increase macrophage activity, enhance cytokine production, and support the healthy functioning of the liver as well as act as an antioxidant.

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Studies in mice show AHCC:
Enhances resistance to infection
Enhances natural killer cell activity
Protects the liver from injury induced by toxic or anti-cancer agents.
May have potential as an immune enhancing agent in the therapy of opportunistic infections.
Reduces breast cancer metastasis in mice when combined with chemotherapy agents.

For more AHCC information by a medical doctor. See also ahcc.name web site

Studies in humans show AHCC:
Has protective effects on the liver in cases of liver injury, cirrhosis, or hepatitis.
Improves the prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

AHCC Dosage
Many of the studies in humans have used dosages of AHCC of about 3 grams a day but it is possible that lower dosages could also be effective. Long term human studies are not available with AHCC therefore the ideal dosage for prolonged use is not known.

How often to take AHCC supplement
AHCC is a mushroom extract used in cancer treatment. If you have certain types of cancer, discuss with your doctor if AHCC is appropriate for you. Your dosage and length of time of use could vary depending on the type of condition your doctor is treating you for. No one has yet emailed us regarding side effects they have experienced with AHCC.

How is AHCC made?
AHCC is an extract of mycelium, obtained through the long-term cultivation of several types of basidiomycetes medicinal mushrooms including Shiitake. After undergoing enzymatic decomposition, concentration, and freeze-drying, AHCC is obtained from the cultured liquid. Active components of AHCC include glucans and an oligosaccharide.

AHCC Research Update
Improved prognosis of postoperative hepatocellular carcinoma patients when treated with functional foods: a prospective cohort study.
Matsui Y. J Hepatol 2002 Jul;37(1):78-86. Kansai Medical University, 10-15 Fumizono, Moriguchi, Osaka 570-8507, Japan.
AHCC is a newly developed functional food. In vitro experiments have shown that AHCC enhances natural killer cell activity, and may be considered a potent biological response modifier in the treatment of cancer patients. However, the effects of AHCC in a clinical setting have not been reported. We seek to determine whether AHCC can improve the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients following surgical treatment. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was performed from February 1, 1992 to December 31, 2001. A total of 269 consecutive patients with histologically confirmed HCC were studied. All of the patients underwent resection of a liver tumor. Time to treatment failure (disease recurrence or death) and ten parameters related to liver function after surgery were examined. Of the 269 patients, 113 received AHCC orally after undergoing curative surgery ( AHCC group ). The AHCC group had a significantly longer no recurrence period and an increased overall survival rate when compared to the control group by Cox's multivariate analysis. This study suggests that AHCC intake can improve the prognosis of postoperative HCC patients.

AHCC Article
Active Hexose-Correlated Compound - AHCC - is a mushroom extract that has been tested for its potential with the immune system, liver health and as a biological response modifier. AHCC was developed in Japan in 1989, and most of the studies with AHCC have been conducted in Japan.

How is AHCC made?
AHCC is an extract of mycelium, obtained through the long-term cultivation of several types of basidiomycetes medicinal mushrooms including Shiitake. After undergoing enzymatic decomposition, concentration, and freeze-drying, AHCC is obtained from the cultured liquid. Active components of AHCC include glucans and an oligosaccharide. AHCC is also a mixture of polysaccharides, amino acids, lipids and minerals.

Studies in mice show AHCC:
Enhances resistance to infection
Enhances natural killer cell activity
Protects the liver from injury induced by toxic or anti- cancer agents.
AHCC may have potential as an immune enhancing agent in the therapy of opportunistic infections.
AHCC reduces breast cancer metastasis in mice when combined with chemotherapy agents.
AHCC may even have antioxidant properties.

Studies in humans show AHCC:
Has protective effects on the liver in cases of liver injury, cirrhosis, or hepatitis.
AHCC and cancer -- one study shows AHCC improves the prognosis in patients with hepatocellular cancer however several more studies are needed before determining the role of AHCC in cancer treatment in humans.

AHCC Dosage
Many of the studies in humans have used dosages of AHCC of about 3 grams a day. The ideal dosage AHCC in cancer or other conditions for long term use is still being evaluated.

Summary
More research with AHCC and cancer is needed before making any firm recommendations on effectiveness, dosage, frequency and length of use, interactions with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and the conditions for which this interesting compound can be useful. Thus far much of the AHCC and cancer research looks promising but few are have been done in humans.

ImmPower AHCC
Researchers at Drexel University’s Department of Bioscience & Biotechnology successfully demonstrated an increased immune response to influenza infection in subjects given ImmPower which contains pure AHCC (Active Hexose Correlated Compound), a hybridized mushroom extract. This original ImmPower research, conducted by immunologists Dr. Elizabeth Gardner, Barry Ritz & colleagues, appears in Journal of Nutrition, November, 2006. The ImmPower supplement, distributed by NY-based American BioSciences, Inc., appears to boost the immune response to influenza, in particular, a vital part of the immune system called Natural Killer (NK) cells. This finding is of critical importance because an immediate immune response from NK Cells is responsible for lessening both the duration and the severity of the influenza infection. Though more than 32 studies have already been published, Drexel’s is the first to evaluate ImmPower AHCC in the context of influenza, demonstrating its efficacy in protecting against the flu’s consequences: * reducing the rate of infection, * reducing the severity of infection, both in terms of symptoms and damage to lungs, * speeding the rate of recovery and reducing the duration of illness, and * reducing the fatal consequences. American BioSciences, the first to introduce ImmPower AHCC into the US and still its largest distributor, worked closely with Drexel in helping design this study. For more on the study & ImmPower AHCC: www.AHCCflu.info, www.americanbiosciences.com.

AHCC Research Update
Active hexose correlated compound enhances tumor surveillance through regulating both innate and adaptive immune responses.
Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2005 Dec 16;:1-9
Section of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, CAB Building, New Haven, CT
In this study, C57BL/6 mice were orally administered AHCC or water, followed by tumor cell inoculation. We showed that compared to pure water-treated mice, AHCC treatment significantly delayed tumor development after inoculation of either melanoma cell line B16F0 or lymphoma cell line EL4. Treatment with AHCC enhanced both Ag-specific activation and proliferation of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, increased the number of tumor Ag-specific CD8(+) T cells, and more importantly, increased the frequency of tumor Ag-specific IFN-gamma producing CD8(+) T cells. Interestingly, AHCC treatment also showed increased cell number of NK and gammadelta T cells, indicating the role of AHCC in activating these innate-like lymphocytes. In summary, our results demonstrate that AHCC can enhance tumor immune surveillance through regulating both innate and adaptive immune responses.

AHCC emails
Q. My brother Ed has beaten SNUC (sinonasal undifferentiated cancer) -- oncologists at the U of M were utterly dumbfounded since the survival rate is less than 10%. Ed was told he needed to be on Coumadin the rest of his life -- notwithstanding the risks associated with that drug or the fact there must be herbs that could do the same job without the risk... but we do not know where to turn for good information. (His vascular surgeon admitted that aspirin would have the same effect, but I don't trust aspirin either!) He was also told he might go blind in one eye within the next 6-9 months because of the intensive radiation on his optic nerve (where the tumor had wrapped itself) and the potential damage the radiation may have caused to the small arteries there. We knew he'd beat the cancer... and we know he'll beat potential blindness with the "right support" to those arteries now. (None of his doctors can advise him on things he could take to support those arteries... nor do any of them have connections with people who have worked with herbs.) Ed believes in herbs -- his sight was restored in his eye only 24 hours after taking AHCC. the oncologists "pooh-poohed" the notion that AHCC caused the sudden turn-around in his sight and asked him to stop taking it during the chemo treatments. (They are fearful of anything they do not know.) He's back on AHCC now, but he knows there are many herbs he could take and would like to have the guidance of one who knows both medicine and herbs.

Q. Is AHCC a vitamin?
   A. AHCC is not a vitamin, it is a mushroom extract.

Q. I take a mushroom product called Host Defense by New Chapter. Host Defense by New Chapter is a synergistic blend of 16 medicinal mushrooms. I've been reading up on the web about AHCC. It is more expensive then any other medicinal mushroom product. I can't understand why AHCC costs more when products like Host Defense, Source Natural Mushroom Defense, etc. has a blend of many mushrooms. Is AHCC mushroom that much better? It seems that a synergistic blend of many medicinal mushrooms would be more potent.
   A. AHCC is expensive partly because many studies have been done with it and it costs a lot of money to do a study. There could be many other mushrooms or mushroom extracts that are as effective for cancer or perhaps even more effective, but since the studies are not available, we don't know about them yet. AHCC appears to be helpful for cancer, but then again there could be countless other mushrooms or mushroom extracts that could well be as good or better.

Q. In dealing with stage four colon cancer patient, are there any reported negative side effects of using AHCC. Patient is not on chemo.
   A. We have not yet come across any reports of AHCC side effects of any significance. It does not mean these side effects may not exist. After more than 3 years of having an AHCC product on the market, no one has emailed us with an AHCC side effect report.

Q. I have looked on a site for information about AHCC and found an interesting article. However, I am a little puzzled by one of the questions at the end of the article which I quote here Q. "I have seen various forms of AHCC, Immpower AHCC and Kinoko AHCC. Which form of AHCC is best? A. There are several AHCC products available, including ImmPower made by American Biosciences. According to the manufacturer, ImmPower is Active Hexose Correlated Compound ( AHCC ), developed by combining several species of mushrooms used in traditional Japanese healing to make one, extremely powerful, hybridized mushroom. This hybridized mushroom is grown in a liquid medium containing rice bran and enzymatically modified to be readily absorbable. Kinoko AHCC is made by Quality of Life Labs. Several other companies private label AHCC including Source Naturals and NOW Foods."
   Having read the 'Answer' , I still cannot see which one is advised as being the best. Which form of AHCC is best. I look forward to your reply.
   A. Since there have not been any studies comparing the various AHCC products from these different manufacturers, we have no basis on which to base an educated opinion. For the time being our impression is that all of these companies have a good AHCC product.

Q. Are there interactions between Serrapeptase and ahcc?
   A. It's hard to say, we have not seen any research combining the two.

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