Active Hexose Correlated Compound
Active Hexose Correlated Compound (AHCC) is a nutritional supplement produced from the mycelia of specific species of mushrooms, and should not be confused or used as a drug or medicine. AHCC was originally designed to lower high-blood pressure, however researchers at Tokyo University found AHCC's influence upon the innate immune system highly beneficial and published the results in 1992, though not in the commonly indexed scientific literature. In this study, researchers found that AHCC significantly increased natural killer (NK) cell activity in cancer patients, and also enhanced the effects of killer T-cells, and cytokines (interferon, IL-12, TNF-alpha).[citation needed]
One cohort study published in 2003 reported improved survival associated with AHCC in primary liver cancer patients after surgical resection of the primary tumor. [1] The clinical efficacy of AHCC is otherwise unknown as of March 2007. The proponents of AHCC claim enhancement of the immune system as an adjunct to conventional chemotherapy, but these claims are not substantiated outside of testimonials.