Why is Immune Assist called a second-generation immunomodulator? The first generation of immunomodulators that were scientifically recognized were the polysaccharide-based compounds derived from mushrooms. Polysaccharides are very complex sugars, which come in many different structural arrangements. An example of this class of polysaccharide compounds is MGN 3. This was available in the United States as a dietary supplements for many years.
The human immune system is a very complex system of checks and balances that help the body to fight off all the various germs and virus that would infest us if they could. It is made up of more than 200 different types of specialized defense cells. There are specific receptors on these immune system cells that bind to specific polysaccharides, which enables the activation of that cell. Different polysaccharides bind to different cellular receptors and activate different immune system functions. For example, one of these polysaccharides, called arabinoxylane, acts to trigger an increase in the number and activity of natural killer cells, while a different polysaccharide might stimulate the production of other immune cells such as identifier T-cells. MGN 3 is made from this single specific polysaccharide, arabinoxylane. As such a single polysaccharide, MGN 3, while it did work quite well for natural killer cell activation, had only this single effect in the immune system.
Immune-Assist on the other hand is a second-generation immune enhancer. We started with the science and research behind the first-generation compounds like MGN 3, and brought it up to date with the latest breakthroughs in immunology. Rather than being made of a single polysaccharide, Immune-Assist is a combination of more than 200 different polysaccharides, including arabinoxylane, which activate not only the natural killer cells, but many other aspects of the immune system as well. These different polysaccharides enhance the production and function of all the different types of immune cells, and provide certain recognition factors that allow the body to better recognize and deal with invading organisms and aberrant cells. This multiplicity of action has resulted in Immune-Assist showing far greater effectiveness in human clinical trials than any of the other single polysaccharide supplements like AHCC or MGN3. Immune-Assist is the premier immune system enhancement of the 21st century!
