Judging by the fact that my computer’s autocorrect recently attempted to change where I had written beta-glucans to beta-toucans, I feel it’s pretty safe to say that most people don’t really know what these words mean. And when most consumers don’t understand a word, from a marketing perspective, there is not much sense in using it. In fact, some consumers may respond negatively to unfamiliar or exotic, technical-sounding terminology.

However, beta-glucans in fungi are a very unique aspect of fungi’s nutritional profile and there is a fairly robust body of research, including double-blind clinical trials, for various health benefits from dietary beta-glucans. The trick is to consider ways in which to frame beta-glucans without losing people’s attention, so to speak. Obviously, this kind of marketing cannot be done in a label or a simple slogan, but it can be done in journals (like this one), blogs, and short videos or even Instagram posts.

I believe it is important to plot this out, conceptually, in circles. This is a similar concept in marketing funnels, where you begin with phases like awareness and then as you go deeper into the funnel, marketing materials generally become more specialized and more detailed. The outermost circle in this case is fiber. Beta-glucans are fiber. Most consumers grasp this concept, even if they lack a detailed knowledge of how exactly fiber interacts with the body and the role it plays in nutrition. 

I believe that, similarly to how we no longer, in common culture, just speak of fat, but instead speak of “polyunsaturated fats,” “monounsaturated fats,” and “saturated fats,” that as the importance and complexity of fiber becomes more well-known, it will become common to speak of beta-glucans, inulin, pectin, resistant starch (an alpha-glucan), and cellulose. This leads to my bigger point: to simply craft good wellness-related pitches now, requires a good understanding of what the pitch is.

I sometimes see mushrooms promoted because of “soluble fiber,” which is partially true, but beta-glucans shouldn’t be thought of as simply “soluble fiber” because not all are, in fact, soluble in water, depending on their molecular weight and complexity. Some of the most well-documented beta-glucans with pronounced immunostimulatory effects have been large, complex structures found in mushrooms like shiitake, hanabiratake (Sparrasis crispa), and wood ear mushrooms. 

There are two very important points about beta-glucans that are worth reiterating in terms of the benefits of mushrooms as a functional food.

The other main sources of beta-glucan fibers are oats and the endosperm of other grains, which contain 3~5% beta-glucan fiber, and yeast, containing slightly more (5~7%). Shiitake, on the other hand, are between 27~40% beta-glucan (by dry weight) with 35% being the figure I’ve seen most often (fungi are rich in different kinds of polysaccharides and it is difficult to get precise averages for beta-glucan content). A single side dish of sauteed shiitake provides as much betaglucan fiber as several bowls of muesli cereal. This means, simply enough, that any emphasis on beta-glucans creates a natural demand for mushrooms as the best source of this nutrient.

The several different pathways through which beta-glucans can help maintain health are also then a great pitch for mushrooms. Yet, listing it all out can sound too hyperbolic; like one of those over-the-top infomercials with the salesman going “And there’s more!” This is another place where the idea of concentric circles helps.

We know, for instance, that beta-glucan fiber helps lower blood cholesterol levels. Soluble fibers bind to bile acids in the intestines and this forces the liver to synthesize additional bile acids which the liver does using circulating cholesterol. This is well-established research, which is why both the FDA and the EFSA both recognize health claims related to oats and cholesterol-lowering abilities. But it’s also apparent that pectin behaves in a similar manner. Cholesterol lowering abilities are well-established, but also less unique to fungi. 

But then, there are other pathways where beta-glucans are more unique, and where fungi in particular have a far more potent biological response than do oats and other whole grains. Beta-glucans are a kind of molecule not produced by the human body, but which are found in common invasive lifeforms such as fungi and bacterial cell walls. As such, the human immune system reacts to them accordingly.

Beta-glucan fragments react with the gut associated lymphoid tissue (specifically Peyer’s patches), and these fragments spark an immune system response from DECTIN-1 receptors. Regular intake of mushrooms has been found to stimulate both the innate and adaptive immune system by modulating cytokine expression - including interleukins and tumor necrosis factor-alpha - in ways that enhance immune readiness without promoting chronic inflammation.

This is exactly why I also dislike the “prebiotic fiber” pitch. While beta-glucans are fermented by bacteria in the large intestine, and appear to stimulate a favorable balance of “good” and “bad” gut bacteria, resistant starch, inulin, (and other oligosaccharides), pectin, and even hemicellulose all have a similar effect. One reason fiber is so important, and preventative of colorectal cancers, is this gut microbiota modulating effect, and the fact that these fibers, when fermented in the gut, produce short-chainfatty-acids (particularly butyrate). SFCAs serve as fuel for the epithelial cells of the intestinal wall, and also serve an important role in controlling appetite, blood sugar, and downregulating inflammatory responses that, if unchecked, can lead to the development of cancer. 

This is not even touching on antioxidizing compounds present in mushrooms, such as ergothioneine, nor other novel, bioactive compounds found in various species of edible fungi. The science is complicated but the gist is not: mushroom cultivation is environmentally sustainable, cheap to produce on agro-forestry waste, and should be a part of our daily diets. It’s an easy, and more importantly, it’s an ethical sell. Eat fungi. Help yourself and contribute to a more sustainable future.