| Updated: 6 Sept 04 |
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Comparing AHCC® with Biobran MGN-3 |
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| AHCC® (Active Hexose Correlated Compound) was a predecessor product to Biobran MGN-3. Both were developed by Hiroaki Maeda in Japan, and the original research on AHCC was done by Maeda and Dr. Ghoneum, before both moved on to develop a new generation hemicellulous product — Biobran MGN-3. As AHCC was developed by a different company to Biobran MGN-3, it was not replaced by the new generation product, but continues to be sold as an immune supplement in its own right. |
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| Although AHCC is certainly a good immune product, it is clearly less effective than Biobran MGN-3, although many of those marketing AHCC seem to think that it is okay for them to make unfounded claims that their product is somehow equal to or better than Biobran MGN-3. The latest marketing misinformation centers on the fact that, because AHCC is cheaper than MGN-3, somehow a person can make up its lower effectiveness by just taking more, but this shows no understanding of modulation. Twice as much AHCC is NOT twice as effective — the difference is likely to be marginal. In fact, even with Biobran MGN-3, the difference between a 1g and 3g a day dose is small... a difference that is only significant if the person taking it is extremely unwell. (After two months on the product there is actually NO difference between these very different doses, which is why those on high doses come down to a maintenance dose.) So AHCC's substantially lower modulation effect cannot be compensated for by increasing dosage. |
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| The following research comparisons were conducted in by Dr.
M. Ghoneum at Drew University in the United States to try to
stem some of this misinformation: |
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Test 1: Activity test using human NK cells in vitro |
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Increases in NK activity are measured in vitro by reacting both low concentrations (25µg/ml) and high concentrations (100µg/ml) of Biobran MGN-3 and AHCC with low immunity NK cells. The results show that Biobran MGN-3 has a high activity than AHCC. Even Biobran MGN-3 of low concentration (25µg/ml) showed a higher activity than AHCC of high concentration (100µg/ml). |
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Test 2: Activity test using rat NK cells in vitro |
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This test was the same as the first one except that it used rat NK cells which had had their immunity substantially lowered. Again, the tests were done at both low concentrations (25µg/ml) and high concentrations (100µg/ml) of Biobran MGN-3 and AHCC. The result showed that Biobran MGN-3 had as much as 7 times the activity of AHCC at the low concentrations and 3.5 times the activity at high concentrations. Again, even the Biobran MGN-3 activity at low concentrations was 3 times higher than that of AHCC at high concentrations. |
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Test 3: Activity drop-off of human NK cells in vivo |
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The basic protocol of this test was the same as the first one, except that this time the activity of the Biobran MGN-3 and AHCC was measured over a period of 4 weeks. During the first two weeks, the subjects were taking 2g/day of either the Biobran MGN-3 or the AHCC. After this point, for the remaining two weeks of the study, all intake was stopped, although NK activity was still measured. In this test, the results below show that Biobran MGN-3 not only boosts NK activity 3.5 times more than the AHCC during intake, but that enhanced NK activity is retained significantly more after intake is stopped. (Indeed, for AHCC, NK activity was indistinguishable from that of the control after only a two week period after stopping intake.) |
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| Conclusion: Biobran MGN-3 is significantly more effective than its predecessor, AHCC®. And due to the nature of immune system modulation with these products, taking extra AHCC, because of its cheaper price, will not make up the difference. |
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