This post has been sponsored by Wellmune® through Kitchen PLAY.
You hear the term “immune support” thrown around a lot – especially lately. But how much attention do you pay to the ingredients in products that say they support your immunity? I will fully admit, I didn’t look much beyond the front label and almost never turned over the products to read the fine print on the back.
If I had, I probably would have been more familiar with Wellmune.
Wellmune is an all-natural ingredient used in foods, beverages and supplements to help the body make the most of its own immune defenses. Wellmune uses the amazing powers of yeast beta glucans which are extracted from the cell wall of a strain of baker’s yeast and then purified.
You may have heard of beta glucans before in reference to mushrooms or oats. While those are great and do provide their own health benefits, these yeast beta glucans are something completely different. What Wellmune does is prime the body’s own immune system to be ready to react and fight when needed.
Can yeast beta glucans over stimulate the immune system?
If you are like me, hearing about the body’s immune system being stimulated may cause you to raise an eyebrow. We’ve all become aware of the damage that can occur when our own immune systems overreact . Yeast beta glucans are uniquely able to prime the immune system by binding to and triggering the immune cells to identify them as “foreign” without causing the immune system to overreact.
So, all I need to do to support my immune system is take yeast beta glucans?
Ahhh – if it were only that easy! No, you still need to eat a healthy diet, get enough sleep and exercise. But Wellmune is an excellent way to add another tool to your wellness arsenal. Wellmune is clinically proven to help:
- Improve general immune health
- Maintain overall physical health
- Protect against the harmful effects of stress
- Promote healthy energy levels and mental clarity
Are all yeast beta glucans the same?
In a word, no. While you can find yeast beta glucans in both brewer’s yeast and baker’s yeast, the beta glucans extracted from the cell walls of baker’s yeast have a different molecular pattern from that of brewer’s yeast.
Even within the choices of baker’s yeast derived beta glucan, the immune-modulating abilities of the final product can differ, so you’ll want to look for one that is backed by clinical research like Wellmune.
Can’t we just get yeast beta glucans from our foods?
While I am normally a huge fan of getting nutrition from whole foods, you’d have to eat a LOT of yeast in order to reach an amount that would support your immune system. And to top it off, the beta glucans in the yeast you’d be eating wouldn’t be as bioavailable for your body as the yeast beta glucans in Wellmune are after they are water washed from the cell wall. This is a case where science has actually improved on nature.
How can I tell if a product has Wellmune in it?
Well, the easiest way is to look for the Wellmune logo or in the description and/or ingredients. But if you’d like a shortcut, here are just a few of the products that contain it.
How much Wellmune is enough? More is better, right?
Nope. During all of the clinical studies, the Wellmune folks identified the perfect serving size. Taking more certainly won’t hurt you (beta-glucan is a type of fiber), but the benefits level off at 35 mg – 100 mg for kids depending on age and weight and 250 mg for adults.
If you’re looking for an easy way to support your immune system, I hope you’ll consider trying a product with Wellmune in it!
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