AHCC: The Next Breakthrough Supplement?

SAPPORO, Japan—Following 15 years of successes in Japan, the manufacturer of a dietary supplement new to the U.S. hopes to find similar success here. The effort is being supplemented by the AHCC Research Association, established in Rye, N.Y., in April, to help spread the word to U.S. consumers about what is already a $150 million international market.

The dietary supplement, known as active hexose correlated compound (AHCC), was developed in the mid-1980s by scientists in Japan through a process that relies on the hybridization of several species of Japanese mushrooms. The supplement is used to boost the immune system of those suffering from ailments such as cancer, hepatitis B and C, diabetes, and various conditions affecting the liver. VP of Purchase, N.Y.-based Quality of Life Labs, Tac Kurihara, explains that AHCC is playing a large role in helping cancer patients in Japan, “AHCC reduces side effects of chemotherapy and radiation such as hair loss, loss of appetite and weight loss,” he says.

More than 700 hospitals and medical clinics in Japan recommend AHCC to patients. In 1999, AHCC was the best-selling product in its supplementation category in that country. Statistics from the AHCC Research Association website, www.AHCCresearch.com, show that in year 2000, 35,000 people worldwide used AHCC regularly. Can this kind of momentum be matched in the U.S.? Kurihara thinks so.

“We believe that the market potential for AHCC could be huge in the U.S.,” he says. In fact, $3.4 million worth of AHCC was sold via the Web directly to consumers before alternate distribution was established in June.

The product is manufactured and distributed to the U.S. by Sapporo, Japan-based Amino Up Chemical Co. Maypro Industries, in Purchase, N.Y., serves as Amino Up’s U.S. distributor through its subsidiary, Quality of Life, which sells the product under the name ImmuneForce. AHCC is also available through American Biosciences of Baluvelt, N.Y., which sells to distributors United Natural Foods (UNFI), Nature’s Best and Irving, Texas-based Progressive Laboratories Inc., among others, under the name ImmPower.

A 60-capsule bottle of the supplement sells at retail for $100 on Quality of Life’s website.

AHCC has been tested as effective in more than 325 clinical trials conducted at Japanese institutions such as Hokkaido University, Kyorin University and Teikyo University. In the coming months, Harvard University and the University of California at Davis will be conducting additional research.

To support the product, Quality of Life has launched an aggressive advertising campaign targeting cancer, hepatitis C and AIDS patients, as well as retailers selling dietary supplements in the natural health food channel. The campaign consists of video and radio news releases in addition to press kits and press releases, and radio talk-show spots featuring spokesperson Fred Pescatore, M.D., who serves as medical director of the AHCC Research Association.

Could AHCC be the next breakout dietary supplement success story? According to Kurihara, only time will tell. In the meantime, he remains cautious and adds, “We [the Association] don’t want it to all happen at once.”

For more information, visit www.AHCCresearch.com, www.q-o-l.com or call 877.YES.AHCC.