Can Mushroom Fiber Beat the Flu? Beta-Glucan 101 with Dr. Maziar Divangahi

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In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with immunology expert Dr. Maziar “Maz” Divangahi about how a fiber found in mushrooms may help us beat the flu, and he introduces us to the concept of disease tolerance. 

What We’ll Cover

1. Beta-Glucan 101
   • What it is: a natural fiber in the outer wall of fungi (think mushrooms).
   • Why it matters: mounting evidence says it can help you fight off the flu by improving something called disease tolerance. 
2. Two Immune Playbooks
   • Host Resistance: the classic “seek and destroy” tactic.
   • Disease Tolerance: a quieter, damage-control strategy our bodies use to stay functional even when a pathogen sticks around.
   • Dr. Maz will unpack how beta-glucan may tilt the balance toward disease tolerance.
3. From TB Labs to Flu Research
   • Insights from Dr. Maz’s tuberculosis studies that set the stage for his beta-glucan–flu work.
   • Early data on how this fungal fiber might boost flu-specific disease tolerance.
4. Should We Eat More Mushrooms or Supplement?
   • Practical tips and caveats on dietary vs. supplemental beta-glucan.
   • What the current evidence actually supports.
5. Beyond Infections: Beta-Glucan in Cancer Trials
   • Snapshot of ongoing studies in breast and bladder cancer.
   • Why disease tolerance is a hot oncology frontier.
6. Future Directions & Take-Home Points
   • Where Dr. Maz’s research is headed next.
   • Simple, science-backed actions listeners can try today.

Listen If You’ve Ever Wondered…

• Why some people sail through the flu while others end up in the ER.
• Whether “disease tolerance” might rewrite how we tackle pandemics.
• If tossing extra shiitakes into your stir-fry can really make a difference.

Dr. Maziar (Maz) Divangahi is a Professor of Medicine at McGill University. He is the Associate Director of the Meakins-Christie Laboratories and the Associate Director of the McGill Interna onal TB Centre. He is an internationally recognized pulmonary immunologist and the overarching focus of his research program is to inves gate the regulatory mechanisms involved in host resistance and disease tolerance against major pulmonary bacterial (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) and viral (influenza virus and SARS-CoV2) pathogens. He is currently inves ga ng how to harness the power of innate memory response (Trained Immunity) in vaccine development. Throughout his career, he has been a prolifera ve inves gator publishing in outstanding journals and received numerous awards, including a CIHR New Inves gator Award, FRQS Award, and the CIHR Founda on grant. His scholarly work has been recognized by elec on to the Royal Society of Canada. He is currently holding the Strauss Chair in Respiratory Diseases. 

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