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.

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.

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.

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)

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

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.

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.