AHCC mushroom extract, benefits and side effects, safety, review and as natural therapy for certain cancers, dosage 500 mg 60 capsules
Discuss with your family doctor or oncologist before using this product as a treatment for a cancer condition or for prevention

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 this mushroom extract have been conducted in Japan. AHCC is a complex compound containing polysaccharides. it is a proprietary natural extracted obtained from a hybridization of several subspecies of medicinal mushrooms, including the Basidiomycotina mushroom.

Buy AHCC supplement, 500 mg, 60 Capsules - Top Quality
AHCC supplement (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, this mushroom extract 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.

Dosage and how to take: Each person is different in their need of this immune boosting dietary supplement depending on each person's medical condition. Therefore, some people may benefit from up to 4 or even 6 capsules a day whereas others may only need to take these pills once or twice a week. Discuss with your personal physician or health advisor regarding the best treatment option for your condition.

AHCC immune effect on healthy individuals
Immunological effect of active hexose correlated compound (AHCC) in healthy volunteers: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Nutr Cancer. 2008;60(5):643-51. Terakawa N, Matsui Y, Satoi S, Yanagimoto H, Takahashi K, Yamamoto T, Yamao J, Takai S, Kwon AH, Kamiyama Y. Department of Surgery, Kansai Medical University, Osaka, Japan.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of AHCC intake on immune responses by investigating the number and function of circulating dendritic cells (DCs) in healthy volunteers. Twenty-one healthy volunteers were randomized to receive placebo or AHCC at 3.0 g/day for 4 wk. The number of circulating cluster of differentiation (CD)11c(+) DCs (DC1) and CD11c(-) DCs (DC2) were measured. We also measured cytokine production stimulated by lipopolysaccharide [interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, interferon gamma-gamma, tumor necrosis factor-alpha). The AHCC group after AHCC intake had a significantly higher number of total dendritic cells compared to that at baseline and values from control subjects. The number of DC1s in the AHCC group after intake was significantly higher than at baseline. DC2s in the AHCC group were significantly increased in comparison with controls. The allogeneic mixed-leukocyte reaction in the AHCC group was increased compared to controls. No significant differences in phytohemagglutinin, natural killer cell activity, and cytokine production were found between groups. AHCC intake resulted in the increased number of DCs and function of DC1s, which have a role in specific immunity.

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. It is possible that one or two capsules of 500 mg a day of AHCC may also be effective, but research is lacking in this area. Consult your doctor regarding the use of AHCC if you plan to take this supplement for prolonged periods.

Safety and side effects
No major adverse effects or safety concerns have been mentioned in the medical literature.

Review
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.

Liver cancer
AHCC may improve the prognosis of postoperative hepatocellular carcinoma patients. AHCC inhibits the induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase at the level of transcription, causing a decrease in nitric oxide production in hepatocytes (liver cells). AHCC seems to decrease the levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase mRNA by reducing mRNA stabilization rather than inhibiting its synthesis.

Use with chemotherapy medications
Alleviating effect of active hexose correlated compound AHCC for anticancer drug-induced side effects in non-tumor-bearing mice.
J Exp Ther Oncol. 2009;8(1): Shigama K, Nakaya A, Wakame K, Nishioka H, Fujii H. Amino Up Chemical Co., Ltd., 363-32 Shin-ei, Kiyota, Sapporo 004-0839, Japan.
Active hexose correlated compound is an extract of a basidiomycete mushroom that is used as a supplement by some cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy; it is thought to enhance the therapeutic effects and reduce the side effects of select anticarcinogenic agents. AHCC has been reported to strengthen the anticancer effects of cisplatin (CDDP) and ameliorate its side effects in female BALB/cA mice inoculated with Colon-26 tumor cells. In this study, the role of AHCC in alleviating the side effects induced by several other anticancer drugs was explored in non-tumor-bearing mice receiving monotherapy with paclitaxel (TAX), or multi-drug chemotherapy with TAX plus CDDP, 5-fluorouracil (5FU) plus irinotecan, CDDP plus 5FU, or doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide. The multi-drug treatments significantly reduced bone marrow cell viability in all groups and leukocyte count in all groups except for TAX+CDDP; these myelosuppresive effects were generally alleviated by AHCC. Hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity caused by the treatments that included TAX and CDDP were also significantly improved by AHCC. The death rate was 20 to 30 percent in all treatment groups except TAX+CDDP, and supplementation with AHCC greatly reduced or eliminated mortality. These results support the concept that AHCC can be beneficial for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.

AHCC use with cisplatin chemotherapy drug
The influence of active hexose correlated compound (AHCC) on cisplatin-evoked chemotherapeutic and side effects in tumor-bearing mice.
Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2007 Jul 15;222(2):152-8. Amino Up Chemical Company, 363-32 Shin-ei, Kiyota-ku, Sapporo 004-0839, Japan.
Cisplatin is a widely used platinum-containing anticancer drug. It has certain benefits in combating some forms of cancer, but it can cause damage to the kidneys and causes many side effects. The possibility that AHCC could reduce the side effects of cisplatin was assessed in the tumor-bearing BALB/cA mice on the basis of the ability to ameliorate the cisplatin-induced body weight loss, anorexia, nephrotoxicity and hematopoietic toxicity. Although cisplatin (8 mg/kg body weight) reduced the size and weight of the solid tumors, supplementation with AHCC significantly enhanced cisplatin-induced antitumor effect in both the size and weight. The histopathological examination of the kidney revealed the presence of cisplatin-induced damage and this was modulated by AHCC treatment. The potential for AHCC to ameliorate the cisplatin-evoked toxicity as well as the chemotherapeutic effect could have beneficial economic implications for patients undergoing chemotherapy with cisplatin.

Anti-inflammatory agent
Active hexose correlated compound acts as a prebiotic and is antiinflammatory in rats with hapten-induced colitis.
J Nutr. 2007 May;137(5):1222-8. Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and 4Pharmacology, University of Granada, Granada 18071, Spain.
AHCC is a product prepared from the mycelium of edible Basidiomycete fungi that contains oligosaccharides. Here we have studied the antiinflammatory effect of AHCC in the trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS) model of colitis in rats. Rats received AHCC (100 or 500 mg/kg) daily starting 2 d before (pretreatment) colitis induction and were killed 6 d after the TNBS challenge. AHCC administration attenuated colonic inflammation, improving rat weight, food intake, damage score, extension of necrosis, colonic weight, colonic weight-to-length ratio, myeloperoxidase and alkaline phosphatase activities, glutathione concentration, and the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines (IL-1beta, IL-1 receptor antagonist, TNF, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) and of mucins 2-4 and trefoil factor 3. The magnitude of the antiinflammatory effect of AHCC was similar to that of sulfasalazine (200 mg/kg). The study of colonic microflora indicated that rats treated with AHCC had higher aerobic and lactic acid bacteria counts as well as higher bifidobacteria counts, whereas clostridia were reduced when compared with the TNBS group. Therefore, our results indicate that AHCC is antiinflammatory and could be useful as a prebiotic to design functional foods for inflammatory bowel disease patients.

AHCC Research studies
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 Enhances the Immune Function of Mice in the Hindlimb-Unloading Model of Space Flight Conditions.
Department of Microbiology, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta
J Appl Physiol. 2004 Jun 11
Hindlimb-unloading is a ground-based model that simulates some of the aspects of space flight conditions including lack of load bearing on hindlimbs and a fluid shift to the head. It has been shown that treatment with Active Hexose Correlated Compound ( AHCC ) restores resistance to infection in mice maintained under hindlimb-unloading conditions. The present study was designed to clarify the mechanisms by which AHCC enhances resistance to infection in this model. We hypothesized that oral administration of AHCC will enhance the function of the immune system, which could lead to the increased resistance to infection observed in this model. AHCC or the excipient was orally administered to mice and the function of the immune system was assessed in spleen and peritoneal cells isolated from those groups. The results of the current study showed that, administration of AHCC for one week prior to and throughout the 2nd day of hindlimb-unloading period enhanced the function of the immune system assessed by spleen cell proliferation and cytokine production in spleens and nitric oxide and cytokine production in peritoneal cells. These findings suggest that AHCC can be used as a potent immunoenhancer especially in cases where the immune system is suppressed by any condition including diseases such as HIV infection and cancer.

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.
Active hexose correlated compound ( 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. A prospective cohort study was performed. 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. RESULTS: 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. This study suggests that AHCC intake can improve the prognosis of postoperative HCC patients.

Combination therapy of active hexose correlated compound ahcc plus UFT significantly reduces the metastasis of rat mammary adenocarcinoma.
Anticancer Drugs. 1998 Apr;9(4):343-50.
Synergistic effects of AHCC mushroom extract on the treatment with UFT against mammary adenocarcinoma, SST-2 cells, in congenitally T cell-depressed spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were observed. AHCC plus UFT had slight but significant effects on the growth of primary tumors. Pulmonary metastases were not inhibited by the treatment with AHCC plus UFT, whereas metastases to axillary lymph nodes (LN) were obviously inhibited. Combination of AHCC plus UFT showed similar synergistic anti-metastatic effects in SHR rats with accelerated pulmonary metastases following the surgical removal of the primary tumors. In vitro studies demonstrated that AHCC plus UFT enhanced the NK cell activity in tumor-bearing rats, whereas UFT alone depressed the NK cell activity. AHCC plus UFT also enhanced the NO production and cytotoxicity of peritoneal macrophages. In addition, AHCC restored the suppressed mRNA expression of interleukin-1alpha and tumor necrosis factor-alpha induced by the chemotherapy. Taken together, the combination of AHCC plus UFT brought about good therapeutic effects not only on primary tumor growth but also on reducing metastasis and these effects were mediated by host immunity which was restored or activated by AHCC. AHCC mushroom extract may be a good candidate for a biological response modifier.

Q. Is it okay to take an AHCC supplement along with mushroom extracts such as Agaricus?
   A. It's difficult to say since both AHCC and agaricus mushroom extract influence the immune system and the interactions are difficult to predict.