Clinical and Physiological Perspectives of -Glucans: The Past, Present, and Future

-Glucans are a group of biologically-active fibers or polysaccharides from natural sources with proven medical significance. -Glucans are known to have antitumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, anti-allergic, anti-osteoporotic, and immunomodulating activities. -Glucans are natural bioactive compounds and can be taken orally, as a food supplement, or as part of a daily diet, and are considered safe to use. The medical significance and efficiency of -glucans are confirmed in vitro, as well as using animal- and human-based clinical studies. However, systematic study on the clinical and physiological significance of -glucans is scarce. In this review, we not only discuss the clinical and physiological importance of -glucans, we also compare their biological activities through the existing in vitro and animal-based in vivo studies. This review provides extensive data on the clinical study of -glucans.