Beloit, WI- A natural immune health ingredient available in food, beverages and supplements may help protect against intestinal barrier function in adults when faced with stress.

A newly published pre-clinical study with human donors led by researchers at the University of Örebro in Sweden and published in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, an Oxford academic journal, demonstrated that Wellmune was effective in protecting against intestinal barrier functions, according to the company'spress release.

The study also provided new insights on how the proprietary yeast beta glucan works within the human body and the immune system.

For humans, chronic and acute stress can result in mast cell activation. The study measured Wellmune’s impact on activated mast cells in intestinal tissue from humans to identify positive effects on stress-induced decreases in intestinal barrier function.

Highlights from the study include the following:
  • Chronic and acute stress can result in mast cell activation, which can weaken intestinal barrier function, which plays a key role in maintaining one’s health. Wellmune may protect intestinal barrier function by blocking mast cell activation.
  • Increasing the understanding of Wellmune’s mechanism of action (MOA), the new study suggests that Wellmune may be absorbed not only in Peyer’s patches but throughout the length of the intestine.
  • Seeing how Wellmune interacts with the immune system helps to understand Wellmune’s MOA and helps support findings that the natural ingredient can help improve the immune system function throughout our life and lifestyle needs.
“The body’s intestinal barrier function allows for the absorption of things like nutrients and water, while simultaneously maintaining an effective defense against toxins and pathogens that can be harmful to our health,” explained Donald Cox, Ph.D., Kerry’s Director of R&D for Wellmune. “While these are preliminary results and more research is needed, Wellmune may protect barrier function during stress, which adds another proof point to the ingredient’s well-researched ability to support our overall health.”

The study also looked at which immune cells interact with Wellmune in the digestive tract immediately after ingestion, increasing the understanding of Wellmune’s mechanism of action (MOA). Microscopy experiments showed that Wellmune was found very close to macrophages and dendritic cells in the Peyer’s Patches. Wellmune was also shown to be taken up through the villi, structures which make up the majority of the large and small intestines. These new findings suggest that the ingredient may be absorbed not only in the Peyer’s Patches but throughout the length of the intestine.

“This new study has given us more insight about the identity of some of the cells that interact with Wellmune in the human gut and a greater understanding of the first steps in the mechanism of action for Wellmune,” continued Cox. “Seeing how Wellmune interacts with the immune system, including its absorption by both the Peyer’s Patches and the villi, builds upon our understanding of Wellmune’s MOA and helps support our findings that the natural ingredient can help improve our immune system function throughout our life and lifestyle needs.”

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