Almost 100 years ago when childhood mortality due to infectious disease was high, Dr. Carl Naslund noticed a curious thing – Swedish children that had received a tuberculosis vaccine not only were protected from tuberculosis but were three times less likely to succumb to any disease compared to the children who weren’t vaccinated. Decades later,… Read more »
Immunity
The Elderberry Market In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, ‘natural’ proactive and immune health solutions have been highlighted as a growing area of consumer interest, with over half of global consumers outlining a willingness to use supplements if they had a greater understanding about the ingredients those supplements contain (1). As consumers continue to… Read more »
Immunomodulators often come up in online searches about immunity’s link with food and nutrition, but what are they? In this article, Sonja Nodland, PhD provides examples of immunomodulators found in food and describes the science of how they work.
Nutrition and immunity can be a difficult space to navigate. Vitamin C, zinc, probiotics, beta glucans, and selenium are among the most common nutrients or ingredients used for supporting immune health. Supporting immunity with functional ingredients is top-of-mind for many people around the world, but how do you know which ingredients and nutrients are actually… Read more »
We are pleased to welcome Dr. Yasuo Watanabe to our Scientific Advisory Council. Read a Q&A with Dr. Watanabe in this article – from the link between mind and body health and the importance of sleep, to the importance of taste and the health benefits of turmeric, kelp, tea catechins and botanical extracts, Dr. Watanabe has a unique expertise and insight on the functional health benefits of food.
Many people are familiar with probiotics and the health benefits they can have, like digestive health and immunity, but how do they actually work in the body to cause a health benefit? Some interact with other microorganisms in our microbiome, while others interact directly with the body’s organs.
2020 brought a lot of surprises for the areas of food, health, and nutrition. It changed the topics people wanted to learn about, foods people shopped for, prepared, and ate, and how each of us chose to cope with stress. Most importantly, it had many of us searching for science-based answers to many of our… Read more »
Vitamin D has been one of the most commonly purchased supplements for immunity since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and there have been varying accounts of how strong the evidence is for vitamin D’s role in preventing infection. The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)… Read more »
What does Vitamin C do for the immune system? Vitamin C is one of the most common nutrients that comes to mind when thinking about immunity. It is a water-soluble vitamin that serves as a cellular antioxidant, which means it protect cells from reactive oxygen species and cellular damage. This includes protecting immune cells from… Read more »
Probiotics are not just for digestive health. The gastrointestinal tract is where our body is able to determine which parts of the foods we eat should be allowed passage into our body, and which should not be allowed entry. We want to absorb nutrients from the food we eat, but we do not want to… Read more »
The COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing, isolation, and stay-at-home orders can have a substantial impact on personal mental and physical well-being, and is also influencing changes in the food and beverage industry. Here are our resources to support our visitors during this time. This page will be updated weekly so check back for new resources. … Read more »
What does selenium do for the immune system? Selenium is important in the immune system’s ability to protect against infection. Selenium is a mineral that is important for a group of proteins called selenoproteins, which have quite a few different functions in the body. Some selenoproteins, called glutathione peroxidases, are important for the body’s antioxidant system,… Read more »
Comfort and stress eating are on the rise during the COVID-19 outbreak with many of us now spending much of our time at home. However, food also plays a key role in helping us stay well and healthy during isolation. We sat down with a panel of experts to bring you their perspectives on nutrition,… Read more »
The immune system is complex, and different nutrients can have different roles in supporting immunity. Zinc is one of the more common nutrients brought up in the immunity conversation, so let’s take a look at what it does. What does zinc do for the immune system? Zinc helps the body’s different defense cells develop and… Read more »
In this blog we round up the great content on nutrition and exercise on the Kerry Health and Nutrition Institute
“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… Read more »
A newly published clinical study with adults at an average fitness level shows improvement in immune health both during and after strenuous exercise when taking Wellmune®, an immune health ingredient found in food, beverages, and supplements. The study, titled “Oral Supplementation with Baker’s Yeast Beta Glucan Is Associated with Altered Monocytes, T Cells and Cytokines Following… Read more »