AHCC supplement health benefit and side effects, risks, safety and review, effect on immunity and cancer research by Ray Sahelian, M.D. Honest information, 500 mg dosage per capsule or pill

Active Hexose-Correlated Compound is a mushroom extract supplement that has been tested for its potential role in the immune system, liver health, cancer treatment and as a biological response modifier. AHCC was developed in Japan in 1989, and most of the studies with this supplement have been conducted in Japan. It 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 include glucans and an oligosaccharide. This product is also a mixture of polysaccharides, amino acids, lipids and minerals.

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Active Hexose Correlated Compound is considered a superfood supplement in Japan where it has been researched extensively for its immune enhancement properties. According to human and animal research this mushroom extract may increase natural killer cell activity. It may also increase macrophage activity, enhance cytokine production, and support the healthy functioning of the liver as well as act as an antioxidant. Reliable shipping - best price AHCC discount.

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Supplement Facts: AHCC Proprietary Blend 500 mg
    Mushroom Mycelia Extract, Candelilla Wax

Suggested Use: 1 or 2 AHCC capsules daily on an empty stomach, or as recommended by your health care professional. For general well-being, take 1 capsule a few times a week. Consult your doctor if you plan to use this product for more than one or two months. Unfortunately this is an expensive supplement and not everyone can afford these pills.

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Studies in mice show AHCC supplement:
Enhances resistance to infection and 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.
Reduces breast cancer metastasis in mice when combined with chemotherapy agents.
May even have antioxidant properties.
Could reduce side effects of chemotherapy drugs.

Flu vaccine
Supplementation with active hexose correlated compound increases the innate immune response of young mice to primary influenza infection.
J Nutrition. 2006;. Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA,
In this study, young mice were supplemented with 1 gram AHCC / (kilogram body weight x day) for 1 wk prior to and throughout infection with influenza A (H1N1, PR8). Our data suggest that supplementation boosts natural killer activity, improves survival, and reduces the severity of influenza infection in young mice.


Studies in humans show AHCC supplement
Has protective effects on the liver in cases of liver injury, cirrhosis, cancer, or hepatitis.
Improves the prognosis in patients with liver cancer however several more studies are needed before determining the role of this supplement as a cancer treatment in humans.
Can enhance certain aspects of the immune system.

Cancer of the liver research
Prognostic improvement of patients with advanced liver cancer after active hexose correlated compound treatment.
Asian Pac J Allergy Immunol. 2006.
A prospective study was performed with 44 patients with histologically confirmed liver cancer. Patients in the treated-group had a significantly prolonged survival when compared to the control group. Quality of life in terms of mental stability, general physical health status, and ability to have normal activities were improved after 3 months of treatment.

Improved prognosis of postoperative hepatocellular carcinoma patients when treated with functional foods: a prospective cohort study.
Matsui Y. J Hepatol 2002.
A prospective cohort study was performed. A total of 269 consecutive patients with histologically confirmed hepaotcellular carcinoma 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. The treatment group had a significantly longer no recurrence period and an increased overall survival rate when compared to the control group. 

Chemotherapy drug combination
The effect of active hexose correlated compound in modulating cytosine arabinoside-induced hair loss, and 6-mercaptopurine- and methotrexate-induced liver injury in rodents.
Cancer Epidemiol. 2009.
Hair loss was caused by cytosine arabinoside and modulation of liver injury was caused by single doses 6-mercaptopurine plus methotrexate. Co-administration of AHCC significantly reduced the side effects associated with arabinoside, 6-mercaptopurine and methotrexate.

Alleviating effect of active hexose correlated compound for anticancer drug-induced side effects in non-tumor-bearing mice.
J Exp Ther Oncol; Shigama K, Nakaya A. Amino Up Chemical Co., Ltd., Shin-ei, Kiyota, Sapporo, Japan.
The role in alleviating the side effects induced by several other anticancer drugs was explored in non-tumor-bearing mice receiving monotherapy with paclitaxel, or multi-drug chemotherapy with paclitaxel plus cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil (5FU) plus irinotecan, cisplatin plus 5FU, or doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide. The death rate was 20 to 30 percent in all treatment groups except paclitaxel + cisplatin, and supplementation with AHCC greatly reduced or eliminated mortality. AHCC can be beneficial for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.

I've been taking AHCC pills for approximately 1 month now. In addition, I'm on the chemo drug Xeloda and the drip Avastin. Have developed several fatty tissue lumps that my doctor assures me is not cancer. Could it be a reaction to the this mushroom product? Do you know of any conflicts with this supplement while undergoing chemo?
   We have not had feedback thus far that it is involved in fatty acid formation, then again there is still a lot to be learned about natural supplements and their full positive and negative effects. There are so many drug combinations and interactions and it is very difficult to know what interactions AHCC may have with chemotherapy drugs, it would take many studies for prolonged periods.

Immune system in healthy volunteers
Immunological effect of active hexose correlated compound in healthy volunteers: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Nutr Cancer. 2008: Department of Surgery, Kansai Medical University, Osaka, Japan.
Twenty-one healthy volunteers were randomized to receive placebo or AHCC at 3 g/day for 4 weeks. The treatment group had a significantly higher number of total dendritic cells compared to that at baseline and values from control subjects. No significant differences in PHA, NK cell activity, and cytokine production were found between groups.

Results of a National Space Biomedical Research Institute study conducted at Morehouse School of Medicine suggest that oral administration of Active Hexose Correlated Compound can increase resistance to infection. The samples of this product used in this study were provided by Quality of Life Labs, Purchase, New York. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) partially supported this work. “Active Hexose Correlated Compound Enhances Resistance to Klebsiella pneumoniae: Infection in Mice in the Hindlimb-Unloading Model of Space Flight Conditions,” 2003, Journal of Applied Physiology.

Lymphoma
I just love your website because it's full of honest information. Is it okay for a person with low grade B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Sjogren's syndrome  to take the AHCC supplement? This person also has low WBC count and she is taking 5 MG of Prednisone every day. I also want to mention that this individual underwent the Rituxan treatment once a week for 4 weeks but her WBC count is still low (2.0).
    AHCC supplements influence the immune system and it is difficult to predict how any one individual's immune system will respond to use, particularly if prednisone, an immune system suppressant, is used.

Melanoma
Active hexose correlated compound enhances tumor surveillance through regulating both innate and adaptive immune responses.
Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2006.
In this study, mice were orally administered AHCC or water, followed by tumor cell inoculation. Compared to pure water-treated mice, the natural supplement 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.

Prostate cancer
We have not seen research studies with prostate cancer and AHCC so we don't know if it is effective.

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

Side effects, risk, safety, adverse events, danger, caution
No major AHCC side effects have been reported in medical journals as of 2011.


Summary and review, recommendations
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 have been done in humans.

Suppliers and manufacturers
I have seen various forms of this supplement, Immpower and Kinoko AHCC. Which form is best?
   There are several products available, including ImmPower made by American Biosciences. According to the manufacturer, ImmPower is Active Hexose Correlated Compound 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 it including Source Naturals and NOW Foods. It appears, to the best of my knowledge, that all brands use the same raw material, the only things that may differ are amounts and what they may or may not combine it with. AHCC is a trademarked product and everyone who sells it buys from the same raw material supplier.