AHCC

(Active Hexose Correlated Compound)

Evidence: Low
Possible Benefits: Reasonable
Safety: Reasonable

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What is AHCC?

Active Hexose Correlated Compound, also known as AHCC, is a chemical derived from Shiitake mushrooms and other fungi. AHCC is often used as a supplement for improving the immune system and reducing the risk of cancer. This article is about the main benefits of the AHCC, its potential side effects, the best time to take it, and more.

Possible benefits

All of the potential benefits mentioned below are dose-dependent. As with other hormetic stressors, there is a sweet-spot dose that allows you to get most of the benefits without causing meaningful side effects or tolerance buildup in the body. We will discuss the best dosing protocol later in this article.

Minor benefits

  • Improved immune system – While more human studies are needed to determine whether or not this supplement can improve immune health, mushrooms in general tend to positively impact immunity in most people and AHCC likely plays a significant role in this benefit.
  • Anti-cancer properties – AHCC may inhibit tumor cell proliferation and induce tumor cell apoptosis. Whether or not taking the supplement can protect a person from cancer and slow down tumor growth in humans is yet to be determined but the research we have available shows promise.
  • Improved cholesterol levels – AHCC may improve cholesterol levels by lowering LDL cholesterol and increasing HDL cholesterol but more studies are necessary to prove this.

Possible side effects

The side effects below are dose-dependent. The risk for them increases (often linearly but sometimes exponentially) as you increase the dose. Some of the side effects only apply to very high doses.

  • Nausea – This side effect is most common when people take the supplement on an empty stomach.
  • Diarrhea – Just like nausea, diarrhea caused by AHCC can usually be prevented by taking the supplement with food.
  • Toxicity – AHCC acts as a mild stressor on the body. That is usually a great thing as it allows your body to adapt to specific forms of stress and become more resilient. However, stressing the body too much can be counter-productive and cause multiple side effects, including toxicity. While acute toxicity is extremely rare, taking high amounts of AHCC could lead to chronic toxicity and cause health problems over time. To prevent chronic toxicity or the buildup of tolerance, it is best to stay below 6 grams of AHCC a day unless you have a great reason to take more.
  • Contamination – If growing conditions are not properly controlled, AHCC derived from Shiitake mushrooms or other fungi can be contaminated with bacteria, molds, and other potentially harmful microorganisms. The mushroom can also be contaminated because of poor harvesting, processing, and packaging practices. Some growers also use fungicides, chemical compounds designed to kill or prevent the growth of other fungi. Many fungicides can have detrimental effects on human health. Choose the brand you get AHCC and mushroom supplements from wisely.

Who should not take AHCC?

You should probably avoid taking the supplement if you:

  • are willing to take a whole mushroom like Shiitake that contains AHCC and a variety of other beneficial compounds, assuming you aren’t allergic to mushrooms
  • experience a severe adverse reaction after taking the supplement
  • are pregnant or breastfeeding (while it may be safe to take the supplement during pregnancy or breastfeeding, it can act as a stressor and should likely be avoided during this period)
  • suffer from an autoimmune disease (AHCC can stimulate the immune system, which can worsen symptoms of autoimmune diseases, such as lupus or multiple sclerosis)
  • have liver disease (this supplement might make the symptoms of the liver disease worse)
  • are on a tight supplement budget (there are more cost-effective supplements on the market for most people)

Who will benefit the most?

You should consider taking the supplement if you:

  • experience high levels of inflammation
  • don’t suffer from any autoimmune disease but wish to improve immune health

How much AHCC should you take?

Because AHCC acts as a mild hormetic stressor on the body, it allows your body to adapt and become more resilient in the long term.

As with other adaptogens and hormetic stressors, a higher dose does not necessarily lead to bigger benefits. Instead, there appears to be an inverted U-shaped dose-response pattern. In other words, you want to find a sweet-spot dose that allows you to get the benefits of the AHCC without putting too much stress on the body or quickly causing the body to develop tolerance to the compound.

The sweet-spot dose typically ranges anywhere between 2-6 grams daily. This amount should provide most of the benefits without meaningful side effects.

The higher end of this range usually provides slightly more benefits in the short term. If you plan to take the supplement for a longer time (multiple months or years), the lower end is probably a better way to go since you’d develop tolerance faster if you were to take higher doses.

While higher doses are generally safe, taking more than the sweet-spot dose daily would be counter-productive as your body would develop tolerance rather quickly. Additionally, very high doses can put too much stress on your system and cause some health problems if you take the supplement for a prolonged period.

Just like with most other adaptogens, it is best to cycle the AHCC and stay off of it for about 2 days per week to reset your tolerance. This will allow you to keep getting the benefits in the long term.

Keep in mind that the effects of this supplement are cumulative. Therefore, you must take it for at least 2-4 weeks to notice the benefits. But again, cycling the mushroom and not taking it at least twice a week is necessary to prevent tolerance in the long term.

Best time to take AHCC

AHCC is water-soluble so you don’t have to take it with food to absorb it well. Taking the supplement without food is better if you wish to maximize absorption.

It is usually better to take this supplement in the morning. However, taking this supplement at night is not necessarily a bad idea so feel free to experiment with different times of the day.

Where to buy AHCC?

Amazon is the best option for ordering AHCC in most countries. They offer some very affordable products backed by many positive reviews. Also, you can choose from a wide range of brands without having to search through other markets on the internet.

Some brands display the dosage per serving instead of per pill or capsule. Therefore, you may accidentally buy something less potent than you intended. Do not fall for this marketing trick.

FAQ

As with most other supplements that act as mild stressors, it is best to cycle the AHCC and stay off of it for about 2 days per week to reset your tolerance back to baseline. This will keep your body sensitive to the supplement and allow you to keep getting the benefits in the long term.

It is usually better to take this supplement in the morning. However, taking this supplement at night is not necessarily a bad idea as it shouldn’t impact your sleep in any negative way. Feel free to experiment with different times of the day to find out what time suits you best.

AHCC should not become harmful once it exceeds the expiration date but it can lose potency over time.

Keep the supplement in a cold, dark, and dry place, and it should remain just as potent for many months or even years.

AHCC acts as a mild stressor on the body. This is usually a great thing as it allows your body to adapt to specific forms of stress and become more resilient. However, putting too much stress on the body can be counter-productive and cause multiple side effects, including toxicity. While acute toxicity is extremely rare, taking high amounts of AHCC could lead to chronic toxicity and cause some health problems over time. To prevent chronic toxicity or the buildup of tolerance, it is best to stay below 6 grams of AHCC a day unless you have a great reason to take more.

The half-life of AHCC in the body has not yet been extensively studied. However, this chemical should have a relatively short half-life because it is water-soluble.

The effects of this supplement are cumulative. Therefore, you must take it for at least 2-4 weeks to notice the benefits. But again, cycling the supplement and not taking it at least twice a week is necessary to prevent tolerance in the long term.

Yes, AHCC is vegan-friendly. If you buy the supplement in a capsulated form, beware that the capsules often contain animal-based gelatin. Instead, find a brand that puts its products into cellulose capsules.

AHCC should not break a fast unless you take a very high dose at once. If you practice time-restricted eating, take this supplement during your eating window so it doesn’t break your fast.

References

Most of the information provided in this guide is supported by scientific research that can be found and verified in the PubMed medical library. We highly encourage you to use the library to verify anything said in this article. We excluded from consideration studies that are either confounded or have a high conflict of interest.

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We hope this guide has helped you determine if you should add AHCC to your supplement stack and how to do it right.

If you have any further questions or want to share your feedback, feel free to email us!

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