Wellmune

In anticipation of his presentation as part of the Preventative Health and Immunity session at Vitafoods Europe in May, Biothera’s Don Cox, Ph.D., senior vice president, Healthcare Group R&D, Biothera, offers 10 tips for evaluating immune health ingredients. For more information on the program visit http://www.vitafoods.eu.com/conference.

Dietary interventions to support immune health are bringing new excitement to the food and beverage industry. Here are 10 factors to consider when evaluating immune health ingredients:

1. Ingredient safety: Ensure that the ingredient has safety data published in a peer-reviewed toxicology journal and reviewed by EFSA (EU), the US FDA and/or other leading regulatory agencies. Request and review the government’s regulatory letters.
2. Mechanism of action: Studies should be conducted in a manner that demonstrates the mechanism of action as measured by its effect on the innate or acquired immune system. Independent, peer-reviewed, published research is best.
3. Method of boosting: Some immune boosters provide temporary stimulation and create an artificial and unnatural state that may damage the body if taken too long. Others safely boost the body’s natural immune mechanisms to respond to a challenge, maintain immune system balance and can be taken year-round.
4. Quality and quantity of the clinical research: Look for multiple peer-reviewed, published, high quality studies with consistent outcomes. Peer-reviewed, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical studies are the gold standard.
5. Research source: Examine whether the research was conducted with the specific ingredient or borrowed from other products. Borrowed science is junk science. The specific biological strain or chemical structure matters.
6. Study design: Design is important to eliminate unintentional bias. Understand and weigh the merits of single blind, open label, double blind, and crossover study designs. While all are valid designs, double-blind studies and crossover design eliminate data variations owing to the physical make up of each treatment group.
7. Outcomes employed: The major forms of outcomes of scientific and regulatory interest are biomarker outcomes and physical health outcomes. Many outcomes can be misinterpreted or are surrogates for the clinical endpoint. Outcomes in human clinical studies must have a demonstrable positive benefit for humans.  Outcome selection is not always clear cut.
8. Ingredient characterization: The health benefit activity must be attributed to known component(s) with well defined molecular structure.  Characterization allows for measurement and standardization required for establishing serving recommendations, consistency in manufacturing and stability and shelf-life testing. Identifying the active component is necessary for determining the desired health effect; it also provides confidence that the efficacy or stability is the same from batch to batch.
9. Serving size determination: Ensure that the ingredient’s dose-response data supports the recommended daily serving. A demonstration of dose response is the best indicator of optimum or effective serving.
10. Formulation characteristics: No matter how safe or effective the ingredient, it is essential that it can be formulated into foods and beverages so that the ingredient doesn’t break down and lose its potency if exposed to heat, pH or pressure required in the manufacturing process.  It is critical that appropriate analytical methods be available to quantify the amount of the ingredient present in the food or beverage after processing and at the end of the projected shelf life of the product.

EAGAN, MN − January 31, 2013 − Biothera announced today that Joy Dubost, Ph.D., RD, CSSD, has joined its board of scientific advisors. In this role Dr. Dubost will help guide the company in its outreach initiatives to dietitians and food and beverage manufacturers for Wellmune WGP^®, Biothera’s clinically proven immune health ingredient.

Dr. Dubost is president of Dubost Food and Nutrition Solutions LLC and an expert source of evidence-based information within the food, beverage and nutrition communities. She has been a media spokesperson for a number of professional organizations and serves on the Nutrition Division leadership team for the Institute of Food Technologists. She is also a recognized speaker at industry events, a sought-after expert among professional and consumer media and has published a number of peer-reviewed scientific papers. Dr. Dubost has worked in the areas of clinical nutrition, nutrition communications, public policy, recipe and product development, and nutrition education.

Immune health was on the menu at the Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine breakfast during the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo in Philadelphia on October 8.  The featured speaker at the Biothera-sponsored event was Roger Clemens, DrPH, past president of the Institute of Food Technology. In this short video Dr. Clemens recaps the key points he made in this presentation to a packed hall of dietitians, focusing on what the immune system is, the role of nutrition in immune health and what is involved in immune function.

For more about immune health and nutrition resources for dietitians click here.

Biothera is fortunate to tap the expertise and insights of food industry veterans like Roger Clemens, DrPH. Dr. Clemens brings deep, wide and global perspectives to our Healthcare Group and Wellmune WGP. He’s also a great teacher in our ongoing professional and continuing education offerings. Get acquainted with him in this short video clip.

In a recent column in Food Technology, Roger Clemens, Dr. P.H., Institute of Food Technologies president, discussed the rising global obesity epidemic and the opportunities and challenges to overcoming this serious public health crisis. He commented on the need to consider several overlooked factors contributing to diabetes and related diseases, including a person’s immune health. Drawing on remarks by Dr. Jose Saavedra, a speaker at IFT’s recent 2012 Annual Meeting and Food Expo in Las Vegas, Clemens wrote:

Everything consumers eat has a direct effect on their immunological response and metabolism, Dr. (Jose) Saavedra said. He asserted that a healthy immune system is just as important as lifestyle choices and dietary intake in the fight against obesity-related non-communicable diseases. Diabetes, allergies, celiac disease and other intestinal disorders are but a few of the manifestations of a poor diet and ill-prepared immune system.

Preferences for salty, sugary, and fatty foods that begin early in life tend to persist throughout one’s lifespan, so if healthy dietary choices and a strong immune system are not established early, consumers are less likely to develop them later.

Clemens advocated a future that integrates food, nutrition, medicine, and public health and policy to support a healthy lifestyle throughout the lifecycle.

This perspective on the importance of a healthy immune system in the fight against obesity is an enlightening addition to the discussion about health and wellness. It’s another reminder of the health benefits of Wellmune WGP for everyone in the family.

If you missed the National Strength and Conditioning Association annual meeting presentation by Brian McFarlin, Ph.D., FACSM, we have key take-aways here. In this short video, Dr. McFarlin discusses two studies he’s done to answer the question, “Does supplementation with Wellmune improve mucosal immunity?” In future videos Dr. McFarlin will discuss other research insights as well as future research topics in the quest to better understand the role of mucosal immunity in defending against bacteria or viruses.

Brian McFarlin, Ph.D. on his research presented at 2012 Nat’l Strength and Conditioning Association

For more on these clinical studies click here.

Dr. McFarlin is an Assistant Professor, Department of Kinesiology, Health Promotion, and Recreation at the University of North Texas.

By William Sears, M.D.
Biothera Healthcare Scientific Advisory Board

Among the conclusions of a recent study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published online by the The Journal of Pediatrics, June 20, 2012, was that most kids under age 8 get the nutrients they need from the food they eat. In my many years as a practicing pediatrician I must disagree, particularly when it comes to immune support.

The human immune system develops over time as the body develops exposure to and memory of germs, so it needs a little help to work effectively in young children. The need for immune support is underscored given today’s unprecedented incidence of allergies and arthritis and other inflammatory diseases that are starting at younger and younger ages. Case in point: the incidence of asthma alone has doubled among children in the past 10 years.

Most children do not get enough immune support in the foods they eat, particularly fruits, vegetables and seafood high in Omega 3 fatty acids. How many children do you know that get 9 to 11 servings of fruits and vegetables a day? Most, instead, are consuming an immune-depleting diet of processed carbohydrates and white bread.

While the NIH study contends that supplements have a role in general where diet may be lacking, supplementation that specifically targets immune support is needed regardless. Until their immune systems at working optimally in their teens, kids need to augment their body’s natural defenses with supplements such as Omega-3 fish oil, fruit and vegetable extracts, or daily consumption of Wellmune WGP through supplements or as an ingredient in foods.

Dr. Bill Sears is one of America’s most renowned pediatricians and author of over 40 books on childcare. He is Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine.

New research published in the prestigious British Journal of Nutrition involving Wellmune WGP® demonstrated that it prevented suppression of the immune system that normally occurs after intense exercise. These results join similar physical stress clinical studies, all finding that Wellmune may help recreational and elite athletes achieve training and performance goals by minimizing the “down time” associated with immune suppression.

In contrast to the placebo group, athletes taking Wellmune had a higher degree of immune support before and after exercise, as measured by monocyte concentrations and certain protective cytokine levels, notes study lead Brian McFarlin, Ph.D., FACSM, Associate Professor of Exercise Physiology, Nutrition and Immunology in the Department of Health and Human Performance at the University of Houston.

More about the study design and results are in the news release and abstract.

Can Vitamins Lead to Debauchery?

A recent study about vitamin users being more inclined to engage in risky behaviors caught our attention.  According to research published in Psychological Science, supplement users may get a false sense of invulnerability that may translate in potentially harmful lifestyle behaviors, including binge-drinking, casual sex and sunbathing.  Here’s the link.

It’s an interesting study and perhaps one more reason to protect yourself with Wellmune WGP^®.

It’s Monday morning; the alarm clock goes off two hours early and you skip breakfast to get into work a little early. That’s because today you make a high stakes business presentation that you rehearsed all weekend. As you fight rush hour traffic, you notice your throat feels sore. Why is it that you always seem to get sick when something important is going on?

Nearly everything we do can have an impact on our immune system: from getting up earlier than usual to skipping breakfast or working overtime on a project.

1. Stress

Stress comes at us from all directions – work, family, even our social lives. Your body responds by releasing cortisol and adrenaline, two stress hormones that raise blood pressure, cholesterol levels and wreck havoc on your immune system. You add to your stress by skipping meals, not getting a full night of sleep and avoiding exercise.

If you are constantly on the run, you might benefit from adding Wellmune WGP to your daily routine. A study of 122 healthy volunteers with stressful lifestyles found that 58 percent of them experienced fewer upper respiratory tract infection symptoms and improved psychological well-being after taking Wellmune WGP daily for 12 weeks.

2. Too much fast food

If most of your meals come in a bag, you might be needing a few more sick days. A balanced diet, rich in fruits and vegetables, provides antioxidants needed to neutralize free radicals. That’s important because free radicals break down cells in your body, leaving you vulnerable to viruses and bacteria. When you feel sickness coming on, you can boost immunity with foods such as yogurt, green tea, oatmeal, broccoli, garlic, oysters, red bell peppers and spices such as turmeric, oregano and ginger.

3. And too few ZZZs

When you get less than six or seven hours of sleep each night, your risk of getting sick increases. During sleep your body produces more protein. These protein molecules allow cells to repair damage caused by stress and other harmful exposures.

4. The exercise “Catch 22”

We all need exercise, but you should be aware how the volume of exercise you do impacts your immune system.

Moderate, consistent exercise increases the production of macrophages, the cells that attack bacteria. Research conducted at Appalachian State University found that those who walked at 70-75 percent of their aerobic capacity for 40 minutes each day, had half as many sick days due to colds or sore throats as others who didn’t exercise.

But, as many marathoners and other athletes have discovered, more than 90 minutes of intense endurance exercise can actually make you more susceptible to illness for up to 24 hours. However, Dr. Brian McFarlin, an associate professor at the University of Houston, found that Wellmune WGP before exercise can improve immune response.

McFarlin tested 60 male and female athletes. Each took either a placebo or Wellmune WGP for 10 days. The athletes then rode an exercise bike in a 100-degree heat chamber, set at 45 percent humidity. Blood samples were taken before and after the exercise. They repeated the experiment 10 days later, but switched who received the supplement. In both tests, the athletes who took Wellmune before working out had stronger immune systems after exercising.

While we can’t control the all the stresses that life throws at us, but by being more aware of the impact of exercise, better dietary management and supplementation, we can help our immune systems stay healthier.