Marathon runners consuming a beverage with Kerry’s Wellmune ingredient saw a 19% reduction in the severity of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), compared to the placebo group, according to new research.
The study published in the Journal of Dietary Supplements also revealed that runners consuming Wellmune missed fewer post-marathon workouts because of URTI and had a 10% decrease in total symptomatic days compared to the control group.
Wellmune, which Kerry bought from Biothera in 2015, is a yeast beta glucan which is said to maintain overall physical health, improve immune health and protect against the harmful effects of stress. The ingredient is backed up by over a dozen clinical studies.
The latest research, titled ‘Beverage Containing Dispersible Yeast B-Glucan Decreases Cold/Flu Symptomatic Days After Intense Exercise: A Randomized Controlled Trial’, was conducted to expand the understanding of Wellmune’s immune health effects, specifically when formulated into a beverage application.
Donal Cox, director of R&D for Wellmune at Kerry, said: “The encouraging results of this new study provide us a greater understanding of Wellmune’s ability to help strengthen the immune system when consuming the ingredient through a beverage product.
“The robust body of research around Wellmune expands across various life stages, lifestyles and product formats, and this study builds upon Wellmune’s proven immune health benefits.”
The study was conducted by Biofortis and was fielded with healthy adults running in the 2017 Austin Marathon. This randomised, placebo-controlled parallel study compared a ready-to-drink dairy-based beverage containing 250mg of Wellmune to a macronutrient and calorie-matched dairy beverage control without Wellmune.
Participants consumed either the beverage with Wellmune or the placebo (without Wellmune) for 45 days prior to the day of and 45 days after the marathon, or 91 days in total. Subjects completed a daily online survey assessing compliance, training status, and URTI symptoms.
A previous study found that marathon runners taking Wellmune for four weeks experienced a 40% reduction in upper respiratory tract infection symptoms.
Cox added: “Combined with previous research on Wellmune, this new study further demonstrates the commitment to our clinical research program and underscores Kerry’s dedication to providing functional ingredients that are clinically supported, proven efficacious, and can easily be incorporated across a range of innovative food, beverage and supplement product applications.”
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