Beloit, WI—New data suggest that kids taking a branded beta glucan are healthier than other children.

For three months, researchers from H&J CRO International Inc. in Beijing, China, gave 156 healthy children (ages one to four) one of three regimens: either 75 mg of a proprietary yeast beta 1,3/1,6 glucan (Wellmune from the Kerry Group, based here), 35 mg of the supplement or a placebo in liquid daily. The investigators kept track of the children’s health, including the number and length of upper respiratory tract infections and all infection symptoms.

Overall, 62% of the Wellmune children had “good” health status compared with only 15% of the children taking a placebo. The supplemented groups also had two-thirds fewer upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) and six fewer sick days during the study.

According to the Kerry Group, “Previous studies with Mead Johnson Nutrition found that children consuming toddler formula with Wellmune had significantly fewer acute respiratory infections, required fewer antibiotic interventions, and missed significantly fewer days of school as a result of shorter durations of illnesses.”

The new research was presented at the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) Clinical Nutrition Week 2016 in January in Austin, TX.

Published in WholeFoods MAgazine, March 2016 (1/21/16)