Wellmune Study Shows Improved Respiratory Health in Marathoners

SAN FRANCISCOA study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine's 59th annual meeting showed marathoners taking a gluco polysaccharide supplement (Wellmune WGP®, from Biothera) had a 40% reduction in the incidence of upper respiratory tract infection (URI) symptoms.

The double-blind study involved 182 runners (96 men and 86 women with an average age of 34) who completed the 2011 LiveStrong Marathon in Austin, Texas with an average finish time of four hours. Participants were given either 250 mg/day of Wellmune soluble, Wellmune dispersible or a rice flour placebo to take for four weeks following the marathon. Subjects taking Wellmune soluble experienced a 45% reduction in the number of days that they reported both general health problems and URI symptoms, while subjects taking Wellmune dispersible reported 34% fewer days of symptoms, compared to placebo, for an average reduction of 40%.

The study confirms previous clinical research showing that Wellmune WGPs support of the immune system has real health benefits for individuals under physical stress," said Rich Mueller, CEO of Biothera. This applies to both elite athletes as well as recreational athletes."

In previous physical stress studies conducted by the University Houston, health improvements in participants taking Wellmune were associated with alterations in monocytes,plasma cytokines, and improved mucosal immunity.

Wellmune is the first ingredient weve tested that showed measurable improvements in key immune system biomarkers," said study leader 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.