A 12-week Human Trial to Compare the Efficacy and Safety of Polycan on Bone Metabolism
A 12-week Human Trial to Compare the Efficacy and Safety of Polycan on Bone Metabolism
Beta-glucans are polysaccharides consisting of glucose residue jointed by beta linkage. They
 are found at a high level in the cell wall of fungi, yeast, oat, barley, bacteria, as well as
 various mushroom. Studies have reported that extract of mushroom (Pleurotus eryngii) can
 prevent the bone loss caused by estrogen deficiency. Furthermore, polycan (a purified
 β-glucan from Aureobasidium pullulans) has been reported to exhibit osteoporosis preventing
 effects. However, no investigation has been conducted on the effect of polycan on bone health
 in perimenopausal women.

 Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effect of polycan on biochemical markers of
 bone metabolism in Korean perimenopausal women.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  They were required to have reduced bone density but no evidence of osteoporosis or
 osteopenia by Dual-emission X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan (T ≥ -1.0 in the lumbar
 spine).

 -  Perimenopausal women : aged 40-70

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Women with a body mass index (BMI) >30 kg/m2 or who were being treated with estrogens,
 corticosteroids, or bisphosphonates, or who had significant illness affecting bone
 metabolism were excluded