NutraIngredients-USA.com, a leading website for the supplement and nutrition industry, reported today that Wellmune WGP® is rapidly gaining acceptance as an immune health ingredient among major food, beverage and supplement manufacturers. Wellmune WGP, which primes innate immune cells that keep the body healthy, is an ingredient in products in more than 30 countries, including juices, fruit smoothies, toddler formula, soups and healthy snacks. The manufacturers of these products range from large global companies such as Mead Johnson and Coca Cola to regional food, beverage and supplement companies.
It’s the midst of ragweed season, and fitness and nutrition expert JJ Virgin dropped by the KCAL-TV studios in Los Angeles to share natural ways to reduce allergy symptoms with viewers.
With a tabletop filled with ideas for coping with the high pollen counts, JJ was most excited about Wellmune WGP®, a natural immune health ingredient that is now even easier to find because it’s an ingredient in over-the-counter products. She refers to a double blind, placebo-controlled study in which medical interns took 250 mg of Wellmune WGP for four weeks and reported that the duration of their upper respiratory tract infection symptoms was significantly shorter than those of their peers who took a placebo.
In a separate clinical study, Wellmune WGP provided significant relief to ragweed sufferers. Ragweed is a leading cause of seasonal allergy symptoms and affects 36 million Americans.
Wellmune WGP works by mobilizing immune cells to fight back when allergies trigger those miserable symptoms. So if you’re tired of constantly sneezing or rubbing your itchy eyes, now you can do something about it. Don’t get trapped inside on these gorgeous fall days. There’s no prize at the bottom of that box of tissues.
Biothera Analytical Methods Adopted for New Industry Standard
EAGAN, MN — September 8, 2011 — The United States Pharmacopeia (USP), in collaboration with Biothera, has developed the first official monograph for beta glucan from bakers yeast (Saccharomyces Cerevisiae), a natural food, beverage and dietary supplement ingredient widely recognized for its immune health benefits.
The monograph was recently issued in the Third Supplement of the Seventh Edition of the Food Chemicals Codex, an internationally recognized compendium of standards for the purity and identity of food ingredients.
Biothera is a biotechnology company dedicated to improving immune health. The company manufactures Wellmune WGP®, a proprietary bakers yeast beta glucan clinically proven to prime key immune cells that help keep the body healthy and vital. Biothera contributed the reference standard and two methods for identifying and quantifying the beta 1,3/1,6 branched glucan polymer derived from the cell walls of bakers yeast.
The Biothera identification method uses Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy to detect glucan branch linkages. To quantify the purity of the beta glucan content, Biothera developed the Glucan Enzymatic Method (GEM™) Assay that was recently published in the ACS Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
“Biothera is pleased to share its expertise in carbohydrate chemistry to help set the industry standard for characterizing and analyzing beta glucan from bakers yeast,” said Rich Mueller, Biothera chief executive officer.
“We are pleased the USP recognized the technical merit of our analytical methods, and validated and adopted our analytical methods as part of the new monograph,” said Andy Magee, Ph.D., Biothera vice president of Chemistry.
The USP Expert Committee approved the proposed monographs after being published in Pharmacopeial Forum for public comment. USP sets standards for manufacturers to comply for products legally marketed in the U.S. These monographs address quality, identification, labeling, purity, and potency, among other tests. All beta glucans from bakers yeast must fulfill the requirements of the USP monographs, at a minimum. The monographs will facilitate FDA’s determination of compliance of the marketed products to these public standards.
USP—Advancing Public Health Since 1820
The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is a nonprofit, nongovernmental, standards-setting organization that advances public health by ensuring the quality and consistency of medicines, promoting the safe and proper use of medications, and verifying ingredients in dietary supplements. These standards, which are recognized worldwide, are developed by a unique process of public involvement through the contributions of volunteers representing pharmacy, medicine, and other health care professions, as well as science, academia, government, the pharmaceutical industry, and consumer organizations.
About Biothera, the immune health company
Biothera is a biotechnology company dedicated to improving immune health. The company’s Healthcare Group is a leading provider of natural immune health ingredients for the functional food and beverage, dietary supplement, cosmetic and animal nutrition markets. Biothera’s flagship ingredient is Wellmune WGP, a unique food, beverage and supplement ingredient that is Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) under U.S. FDA regulations. It is also patented, Kosher, Halal, non-allergenic and GMO-free. The ingredient is recipient of an IFT Innovation Award and a Frost & Sullivan Excellence in Research Award.
Contact:
David Walsh
VP Communications
Biothera, the Immune Health Company
651-256-4606
dwalsh@biothera.com
EAGAN, MN — September 3, 2011 — Biothera, the manufacturer of Wellmune WGP, will sponsor a webinar about the link between stress and numerous health problems, including suppression of the immune system, at 1:00 pm U.S. central standard time on Wednesday, September 14. The webinar will be hosted on FoodNavigator-USA.com and NutraIngredients-USA.com. Register here.
The webinar is entitled, “Closing the Window on Stress-Related Immune Suppression,” and features distinguished panelists in the fields of natural medicine, exercise physiology and immunology and immune health ingredient research will discuss their research and what it may mean to manufacturers of foods, beverages and supplements.
Surveys show that 75% of Americans today say they are “stressed out” and that stress is a major factor in workplace absenteeism and lost productivity. “Our industry has a tremendous opportunity to develop products that can deliver real immune health benefits to consumers so they can better cope with the daily stresses of their lives,” said Richard Mueller, president of Biothera’s Healthcare Group.
The webinar panel will include three industry experts:
Michael T. Murray, N.D.
Chairman, Dr. Murray Natural Living, Inc.
Brian McFarlin, Ph.D., FACSM
Associate Professor of Exercise Physiology, Nutrition and Immunology
Department of Health and Human Performance
University of Houston
Don Cox, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President, Research & Development
Biothera, the immune health company
For more information, contact:
David Walsh
Vice President, Communication
Biothera
651-256-4606
dwalsh@biothera.com
Sherry Torkos, fitness expert and holistic pharmacist, dropped by Breakfast Television at City-TV Toronto to discuss natural ways to keep healthy.
Sherry isn’t all work and no play; she shared a sneaky way to get healthy by eating Praeventia cookies that are great for kids and adults alike. The cookies contain whole oats, polyphenols (antioxidants) and Wellmune WGP®, a natural ingredient that improves resistance to stress and mobilizes immune cells without over-stimulating the immune system. These are ideal for school lunch boxes.
Ever notice how lethargic you become when you’re feeling under the weather? With a healthier immune system, chances are that you’ll notice an increase in energy. Try Praeventia or other Wellmune WGP® products today.
There’s never a convenient time for you or your family to get sick, but it’s probably safe to say that you definitely don’t want to cope with coughs and fevers during your summer vacation.
Why are you more prone colds and flu right now? Blame stress. Weekend athletes often don’t understand that the exercise stresses their bodies, which is why they get may get sick after competing in a marathon. Likewise, your every day stressors, like running kids to appointments and having to tighten your household budget, can make you sick. Add to those stressors the million things you are doing as you try to get ready for vacation.
Surprisingly, stimulating your immune system isn’t the answer. An out-of-balance immune system can lead to trouble. There are times when your body needs an inflammatory response and times when it doesn’t. Instead of stimulating your immune system, you want to prime it so that it’s more responsive when you are exposed to a cold or flu.
The good news is that there are foods, beverages and supplements that, when combined with a wholesome lifestyle, can help you to stay healthier. To support your immune system:
• Eat plenty of vibrantly-colored fruits and vegetables. These play important roles in balancing the immune system. There is now science to support the old adage: an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Food is life. You need to eat good quality foods to provide you with a quality of life.
• Choose foods, beverages and supplements that naturally support your body’s immune response. Clinical research indicates that a carbohydrate derived from a proprietary strain of yeast, an ingredient known as Wellmune WGP, is a safe and easy way to help you avoid getting sick. Just like benefits of Vitamin C and protein, this proprietary yeast, in the form of beta glucan, has a unique function in the body. It works by tapping into the most abundant immune cells in your body.
• Sing (to yourself) while washing your hands. Hand washing remains one of the best ways to stay healthy. The length of time it takes to sing The Birthday Song is about how long it should take to thoroughly wash your hands.
• Live healthfully every single day. Compliance is critical. If you are essential medication, you take it as frequently as your doctor recommends. Healthful food and exercise must also be done on a regular basis if you want to reap the benefits.
Following these simple steps may mean that you can enjoy a healthy, happy summer, and isn’t that what we all want?
What you eat can be responsible for contributing to, or helping to prevent, health problems. But some foods may cause intolerance or allergic responses. You also want to avoid most processed foods, such as cereals, because they typically contain excess amounts of sugar and salt. Some also contain preservatives, such as sulphates, that may negatively impact the immune system. And try to stay away from foods that are high in fat – particularly saturated fats – and cholesterol, as well as low density foods (sometimes called “empty calories”).
Just as you might think about eating better and choosing ingredients to prevent serious diseases, you may also rely on good nutrition and healthful products to reduce your risk of getting miserable coughs, sore throats and fevers associated with cold and flu.
Your immune system’s innate response is your body’s generic first line of defense against germs. Here are some simple suggestions for getting your immune system’s innate response in the best possible shape to fight off any germs that might come your way.
1. First, do no harm. Smoking, alcohol and a sedentary lifestyle may actually weaken your immune system’s innate response.
2. When you feel stressed, avoid the urge to reach for something that will stimulate your immune system. An out-of-balance immune system – including one that is constantly stimulated — can lead to trouble. Instead, you want to strengthen it so that it’s ready to respond when you are exposed to a cold or flu. Some simple tactics include supplementing with a high quality multi-vitamin, Vitamins C and D, and probiotics.
3. Prime your innate immune response so that it’s ready when you need it. Functional foods, beverages and supplements containing Wellmune WGP include Praeventia Cookies available in Ginger and Dark Chocolate Chip with Cranberries Cookies, OASIS Health Break Immuniforce as well as Coldmune, Healthmune and Stressmune dietary supplements. Wellmune works by tapping into the most abundant immune cells in your body, and it is a safe and easy way to help you reduce the risk of getting sick.
4. Rid yourself of toxic substances with a colorful diet and plenty of water. Keeping your body hydrated by drinking as much water in the winter as you do in the summer, and eating plenty of vibrantly-colored fruits and vegetables, are two of the best ways to cleanse and remove toxins from your body. Fruits and vegetables are also rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients which your body needs for optimal health.
Consuming whole fruits, rather than juices, provides not only vitamin C as an antioxidant but also dietary fibre. Many people make the mistake of choosing fruit drinks that contain only about 12 percent fruit juice to which artificial colors and sugars are added. These beverages are the ones to avoid. Oasis juice, with black current and elderberry, contains vitamin C and Wellmune as well as other beneficial phytochemicals such as the polyphenolic anthocyanins and ellagitannins that are good for your immune system.
5. Sleep and exercise. Think of sleep as your body’s repair cycle. You must give your immune system adequate time to do its work. Studies show that people who exercise regularly have a more vigorous immune response than those who remain sedentary.
There was a time when, because of food preparation and storage methods, people naturally ingested microbes such as worms and bacteria through their food and environment. These helped people to build up immunity against diseases. Now our food supply is much more sterile, and we’re very conscious about avoiding germs. But it still makes sense to safely, naturally and effectively activate our body’s built-in, natural immune mechanism without having to worry about any harmful side effects.
One well-studied step that anyone can take, even children, is to add a daily of yeast beta 1.3/1.6 glucan to your health routine. Wellmune WGP is a clinically researched brand of yeast beta glucan that has been shown to naturally prime the body’s neutrophils, which are the soldiers of the immune system. Using just the cell walls of a proprietary strain of yeast – to eliminate all yeast-related health concerns – it enhances the body’s natural immune function. It works by engaging the body’s natural defenses against yeast infections and helps redirect then towards other challenges. As a result, the neutrophils are primted for activity.
It is logical to take Wellmune WGP daily because the life cycle of neutrophils is two days or less. People about to enter the hospital, and long distance air travelers should also consider strengthening their immune system. You might also want to take Wellmune at the first sign of a cold or sore throat. Wellmune WGP is naturally safe, and the dosage on the label is the same as that used in the clinical studies.
It seems everyone these days wants advice on how not to get a cold or the flu. Protective gloves and a face mask aren’t exactly practical or fashionable. The good news is that once you know how your immune system is set up to attack germs, viruses and other potential pathogens, it’s easier to understand how you can reinforce its power.
Your immune system has two primary actions: innate and adaptive. The innate response is your body’s generic first line of defense. When your immune system senses a potential pathogen such as a cold virus, it sends white blood cells and other warriors to surround and kill it. There are well-researched nutritional supplements that can help ensure that your innate immune system is fully functional and ready to protect you against harmful infections.
The adaptive or memory-based response is more specific. For example, it is the immunity your body might have after getting a flu vaccine. Your body recognizes this germ and uses very specific and efficient tactics to get rid of it before it makes you sick.
It is possible to prime your innate immune response so that it’s ready when you need it. Functional foods, beverages and supplements that contain Wellmune WGP are now available. Wellmune works by tapping into the most abundant immune cells in your body, and it is a safe and easy way to prime the immune cells that help keep you healthy. Products include: Leclerc’s Praeventia Cookies available in Ginger and Dark Chocolate Chip with Cranberries Cookies, Lassonde OASIS Health Break Immuniforce as well as Coldmune, Healthmune and Stressmune dietary supplements from Sisu.