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Home > Beta Glucan
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Does beta glucan provide any skin benefits when
applied topically?
Beating The Aging Process Naturally: Study First To Prove Beta Glucan Penetrates Skin
The fight against aging has received a scientific boost thanks to an
innovative study done in part by a University of Alberta spin-off
company--research that dispels a hard-held belief about the natural
ingredient, beta glucan. The study, published in the current issue of
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, is the first to show that oat
beta glucan can penetrate the skin despite years of doctors and
scientists believing that the large molecule was too big.
The finding is significant, not only in the treatment of skin disorders
and removing fine lines and wrinkles but in the promotion of wound
healing and reduction in scaring following surgical procedures, says Dr.
Mark Redmond, president and CEO of Ceapro Inc, a spin-off company
formed in the late 1980s to commercialize technology from the University
of Alberta's faculties of pharmacy and medicine for the treatment of
cold sores.
Beta-glucan is the soluble fiber found in the cell walls of oat kernels.
Oat has a long history of safe use in providing fast, temporary relief
of itching and pain associated with minor skin irritations, has reported
to improve the appearance of smoother skin and has helped wound
healing. But it has been long believed that such a large molecule as
beta glucan was too big to penetrate the skin.
In this paper, Redmond and his co-authors describe using beta
glucan-specific tracking dyes to show the skin penetration did take
place. "Interestingly, the glucan penetrates in the same way that water
penetrates a brick wall--it does not go through the brick, it goes
through the concrete binding the bricks together," says Redmond. "As a
result of our study, we now know that glucan works through the
inter-cellular lipid matrix, or the cells' cement, to enter the lower
levels of the skin. Of medical significance is the fact that beta glucan
creams promote wound healing and reduction in scaring following
surgical procedures."
The research team, made up of Redmond, Ravi Pillai and Joachim Roding
both from Symrise, then measured the depth of the skin that the glucan
penetrated. Photographs show the actual reduction of wrinkles and
consumers should expect to see similar results on themselves in as
little as 10 days, says Redmond. Beta glucan is already used in a number
of products available to consumers including brand name products from
Johnson and Johnson and Schering Plough. "The proof that we provide in
this paper and other research that we have conducted is that glucan can
have a specific and measurable effect on skin beyond making you look
good and feeling great," says Redmond. "We also have indications that a
number of applications in cosmetics are in the works to use glucan as
the non-invasive alternative to Botox for those who are afraid of
needles."
Ceapro has also discovered that beta glucan can be used as a transdermal
delivery system to feed drugs and other compounds into the skin. This
development may lead to new and better ways of delivering such medicines
as antihistamines and pain relievers |
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