Wellmune

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^®.

What did you do for fun last night? What are your weekend plans? Did you know that your social life can have a direct impact on your immune system?

Here are five ways that you and your friends could be setting yourselves up for illness.

1. Watching too much TV. If your favorite source of entertainment is watching TV or going to movies, you need to consider using your muscles more often.  There is mounting evidence that moderate, consistent exercise helps protect us from everything from the common cold to more serious, chronic diseases. How about riding bicycles to the cineplex?
2. Eating out too often. You may enjoy dining out with friends, but if you’ve got the expanded waistline to show for it you might want to find lower calorie pastimes. Those extra pounds put you at risk for diabetes, heart disease and cancer, partly because excess fat cells might be causing your body to produce fewer antibodies. Why not collaborate on a low-fat, low-calorie homemade meal instead? You may discover cooking with your friends is a lot of fun.
3. Feeling socially isolated. It doesn’t matter if you have just one friend or many. What’s important is how connected you feel to others in your life. Studies indicate that having strong relationships improves your mental as well as your physical health. Make time for good conversations without a lot of distractions, explore volunteer opportunities, and turn off your electronic devices when you’re together with friends.
4. Being pulled in too many directions. If your time is so over-committed that you’re running from one activity to another, it may be time to simplify your life. Numerous studies have linked stress with lower immune function. Try to prioritize your activities, and find ways to either delegate obligations or eliminate them entirely so that you’re spending most of each day doing the things that are most important to you.
5. Eating too much sugar. Researchers say that sugar suppresses immune system cells. Something to consider if you and your friends like to hit the yogurt shop regularly. Challenge your friends to find creative ways to eliminate sugar from your lives. Support each other until the temptations subside. Remember: you don’t need sugar to live a healthy, well-rounded life. Besides, enjoying just a little bit of sugar now and then will make the treat seem that much sweeter.

Business trips may be great for your company and your career but they can play havoc with your health. Changes in your sleep patterns, diet and exercise routines – not to mention travel-related stresses – can weaken your immune system. That’s why so many business travelers tend to feel rundown, and suffer from more than their share of colds and flu.

Here are some steps you can take to decrease your chances of getting sick on your next business trip.

1. Dodge airport germs by wearing socks. The floors at security checkpoints are dirty. No need exposing your bare feet to germs that could lead to fungal infections.
2. Thwart airborne germs on the plane. The air aboard an airplane dries out your nasal membranes, making you less resistant to infection. Use a saline nasal spray before and after your flight to keep your those membranes moist.
3. Take Wellmune WGP® before and throughout your trip. Wellmune engages your body’s neutrophils, which are the soldiers of the immune system. It naturally primes these cells so that they are ready to serve as your body’s first line of defense and keep you healthy.
4. Re-set your body clock. Adjust to a new time zone as quickly as possible. If you arrive at bedtime, then try to go to sleep as soon as you get to your hotel. If it’s daytime, try to stay awake.
5. Pack gym clothes. Most hotels now offer workout rooms so you can keep up with your daily exercise routine.
6. Be kind to your digestive system. It’s tempting to stray from your normal eating habits while traveling, especially when most (if not all) of your meals are in restaurants. You’ll feel less sluggish if you choose lean entrees, and include fruits and vegetables with each meal. Avoid alcohol and be sure to monitor your portion sizes.
7. Avoid germs in high-traffic areas. Viruses can survive 18 hours on hard surfaces. Use your shoulder instead of your hands to push open doors in public places. Try to remember not to place your palms down on the hotel’s front desk counter. Wash your hands often, especially after handling restaurant menus, condiment containers and other items that are touched by dozens of people a day.
8. Don’t skimp on your sleep. You’ll be more effective in your business meetings, and your body will function more efficiently. If you’re generally have troubles sleeping while away from home, bring along some melatonin, which is a safe and natural way promote drowsiness.

Kids are back to school and back to the locker rooms. Perhaps you’re taking this time to get fit before the holidays? Gyms are a great place to get fit but because of the large number of people using the same equipment and facilities, and the copious amounts of sweat, they also provide the perfect environment for spreading infection.

As you tone and strengthen your muscles, you may also be exposing yourself to:

• MRSA and other staph infections
• Cold and flu viruses
• Ringworm
• Germs that cause such unpleasant conditions as jock itch, athlete’s foot and boils

An estimated 80 percent of all infectious diseases are transmitted by direct contact, such as kissing, or indirect contact such exposing yourself to the germs left behind on gym equipment. Some of the germiest places in the gym are water fountains, mats, weight machines, free weights, locker rooms and showers. Your sweat and any skin cuts or lesions make you especially vulnerable to fungal, viral and bacterial skin infections.

This isn’t an excuse to skip your workout, but you should take steps to protect yourself from these microscopic invaders.

• Wear clean workout clothes every day. Re-wearing the same stinky clothes increases your chances of getting fungal infections.
• Wipe down equipment and mats before each use. If the gym does not provide spray bottles and paper towels, bring your own wipes. Be thoughtful and clean your sweat off the equipment afterward.
• Don’t touch your eyes or mouth. This is how viruses are transmitted.
• Wear water shoes or flip flops in the shower. Germs do survive on the shower walls and floors. Wash your feet first then wear shoes for the rest of your shower.
• Bring a fresh, clean towel from home to dry off after your shower. Bring two if you use one to wipe the sweat from your body as you exercise.
• Keep your clean clothes separate from your dirty ones. Place your dirty clothes in a plastic bag to avoid any cross contamination.

When LovetoKnow.com asked celebrity fitness and nutrition expert JJ Virgin, from TLC’s Freaky Eaters, to share some of her favorite tips – we were pleased to see Wellmune  WGP® ranked high on her list. The interview, which was actually on how to exercise for weight loss and keep the pounds off through exercise and nutrition, included JJ’s suggestions for people who have tried many different diet and exercise programs, and still have difficulty losing weight.

You can’t get a great workout if you aren’t well, and JJ pointed out that Wellmune WGP works to keep you healthy by mobilizing billions of innate immune cells that are part of your body’s natural defenses. “It helps maintain energy, vitality and mental clarity when you are stressed,” she added.

JJ didn’t mention that a recent clinical study at the University of Houston demonstrated that Wellmune WGP reduced immune suppression that normally occurs following high intensity exercise.  This means that both recreational and elite athletes may be able to work out hard and longer without lowering their immunity.

Clinical Study Conducted by University of Houston

Results Presented at International Society of Exercise Immunology

EAGAN, MN — July 11, 2011 — A new clinical study indicates that Wellmune WGP®, a natural functional food ingredient, may enable both recreational and elite athletes to exercise longer and harder with less risk of immune system suppression that normally occurs following high intensity exercise.

The effectiveness of the immune system drops sharply below its normal state two to six hours after strenuous exercise and then gradually recovers within 24 hours.  “During this ‘open window’ period, the athlete is more susceptible to infection, which may result in lost training time as well as missed work or school,” said 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.

Dr. McFarlin conducted the research that demonstrated that Wellmune WGP not only reduced the “open window” effect, but actually resulted in a higher level of immune responsiveness than the study subjects’ normal immune state.  “Wellmune provided a greater degree of protection before and after exercise, as measured by monocyte concentrations and certain protective cytokine levels,” said Dr. McFarlin.

“Wellmune WGP may enable athletes to maintain a strenuous training program, avoid down time and ultimately enhance their overall athletic performance,” said Dr. McFarlin.

The research was presented today at the International Society of Exercise Immunology’s symposium on “Exercise and Immunity in Athletic Performance and a Healthy Life” at St. Catherine’s College, University of Oxford, United Kingdom.  The research poster presentation is entitled, “The Effects of Yeast β-glucan Supplementation on Monocytes and Cytokine Response to Exercise.”

Study Design
The randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study involved 60 recreational athletes [31 women (age 22 +5), 29 men (age 23 +5)] engaged in sustained aerobic exercise.  Following initial screening, study subjects were given either a placebo or 250 mg of Wellmune WGP daily for 10 days.

At the end of the period, the athletes rode an exercise bicycle for approximately one hour in the heat stress chamber at the Health and Human Performance lab at the University of Houston.  Exercise conditions in the chamber were set at 38C (100F) and 45% relative humidity to create an environment that placed the athletes under physiological and psychological stress.  The athletes were closely monitored during the exercise challenge to ensure their safety.  Blood samples were drawn at day 0 and immediately before and after the exercise session and again two hours post exercise.  The samples were analyzed for 25 immune system measurements.

Using a cross-over study design, the athletes next observed an eight-day “wash out” period during which no supplement was given to clear their bodies of any supplement effect.  The study subjects then repeated the 10-day supplementation with the other test variable (Wellmune or placebo).  At the end of the second supplementation period, the subjects then replicated their initial exercise regimen.

Study Results
Study subjects taking Wellmune WGP had statistically significant higher concentrations of monocytes in their blood compared with the blood samples while taking the placebo.  The higher monocyte level was recorded immediately before and after exercise, as well as two hours post exercise.

Study participants also had higher levels of key cytokines (IL-2, IL-4, IL-5 and IFN gamma) following Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation when taking Wellmune WGP.  LPS is derived from gram-negative bacteria and used to mimic a foreign challenge to stimulate an immune response.  The data also showed higher levels of plasma cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, IL-7, IL-8, IL-10 and IFN gamma) two hours after exercise when the subjects had supplemented with Wellmune.  All of these results were statistically significant (p<0.05).

“The effect of Wellmune WGP on LPS-stimulated IL-4 and IL-5 production suggests that leukocytes were primed for higher plasma cytokines that directly mediate innate and humoral dependent immune responses” said Dr. McFarlin.  “Our lab has tested numerous compounds but Wellmune is the first to prevent alterations in monocyte and key cytokines following high intensity exercise.”

“These study results are not surprising given the beneficial effects of Wellmune WGP demonstrated in previous clinical trials involving marathoner runners, wildland fire fighters and individuals with high stress lifestyles,” said Don Cox, Ph.D., senior vice president, research and development, for Biothera, the manufacturer of Wellmune WGP.

About Wellmune WGP
Wellmune WGP is a natural carbohydrate that is clinically proven to prime key immune cells that keep the body healthy.  This unique food, beverage and supplement ingredient 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. Wellmune WGP is a product of Biothera, a U.S. biotechnology company dedicated to improving immune health.

About the University of Houston
The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the nation’s best colleges for undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic Industry partnerships. Located in the nation’s fourth-largest city, UH serves more than 38,500 students in the most ethnically and culturally diverse region in the country.

Contact:
David Walsh
VP Communications
Biothera, the Immune Health Company
651-256-4606 (direct)
dwalsh@biothera.com