nutritional yeast Archives - Amazing Health Advances

What to Eat to Help with Seasonal Allergies (Hay Fever)

AHA Publisher — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 07:00:26 +0000

Michael Greger M.D. FACLM via Nutrition Facts – What did a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study of a food that costs pennies a day for ragweed allergy sufferers find? A “great deal is asked of our immune system. It is firstly required to respond rapidly and violently to invaders, but at the same time limits both the duration of its response and the collateral damage to the host.” Anaphylactic shock, which is “defined as ‘a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death’”—like when someone with a peanut allergy dies after eating one—is an example of an overactive immune response. The flipside is an underactive immune response, which can put you at risk for infection. If you suffer a severe trauma, for example, it’s not enough to get to a level 1 trauma center. Death related to sepsis, or blood infection, is still a major problem, and a “primary factor in the development of sepsis is depression of host-immune response after severe injury”—that is, depression of our own immune system, caused by the stress of the trauma. Researchers tried to stimulate immune function in trauma victims by injecting them with beta glucan, a type of fiber found in yeast. Most of the subjects were car crash victims, but some suffered from gunshots and stab wounds. Not only did the beta-glucan group suffer less sepsis overall, but they also had five times fewer complications and no deaths, compared to nearly one in three dying in the control group. You may recall that I’ve talked previously about the role of oral beta glucans in the form of nutritional yeast to boost immune function in adults and children. If beta glucans are so immunostimulatory, though, might they increase inflammation and worsen allergies? Actually, dietary yeast may offer the best of both worlds, possessing both anti–inflammatory and anti-microbial abilities. On the one hand, yeast beta glucans activate the immune system to prevent infections, and, on the other hand, they are capable of reducing inflammatory reactions. Given their best-of-both-worlds nature, enhancing immune defense while simultaneously down-regulating inflammations, beta glucans are suggested as a replacement for immunosuppressive drugs to treat inflammatory diseases, like inflammatory bowel disease. It turns out that’s not a good idea for Crohn’s disease or another disease called hidradenitis suppurativa, though, since it can makes things worse, but what about allergies, like hay fever? As I discuss in my video Flashback Friday: Best Food for Hay Fever (Seasonal Allergies), researchers performed a nasal provocation test with tree pollen and then siphoned off some mucus. The subjects who had been taking beta glucans had lower levels of some inflammatory compounds. Based only on that finding, the researchers suggested beta glucans may help people with hay fever—but you don’t know, until you put it to the test. A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study compared the effects of daily supplementation with about a teaspoon of nutritional yeast’s worth of beta glucans versus placebo for a month “on physical and psychological health attributes of self-described ‘moderate’ ragweed allergy sufferers.” The ragweed family is one of the leading causes of hay fever. As you can see at 3:02 in my video, when you give people a placebo, nothing much happens. In contrast, the beta-glucan group experienced a significant drop in symptoms and symptom severity: fewer runny noses, fewer itchy eyes, and fewer sleep problems. It’s no wonder they also had less tension, less depression, less anger, less fatigue, less confusion, and more vigor. Improvements in allergy symptoms, overall physical health, and emotional well-being with the beta glucans found in just a single teaspoon of nutritional yeast, which would cost about 5 cents a day. This is part of an extended series about the benefits versus risks of going out of our way to add nutritional yeast to our diet. As I mentioned, I’ve previously talked about the role of oral beta glucans in the form of nutritional yeast. Check out those videos: Flashback Friday: Best Food to Counter Stress-Induced Immune Suppression and Best Food to Prevent Common Childhood Infections. KEY TAKEAWAYS Our immune system must respond quickly to invaders, while also limiting the duration of its response and collateral damage inflicted on us. A primary factor in the development of sepsis, or blood infection, which can be fatal, is depression of our own immune system, caused by the stress of severe injury or trauma. Researchers successfully stimulated immune function in trauma victims (of car crashes, gunshots, or stabbings) with beta glucan, a type of fiber found in yeast, resulting in fewer subjects suffering from sepsis and five times fewer complications and no deaths, compared to nearly one in three dying in the control group. Dietary yeast, such as nutritional yeast, possess both anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial abilities, activating the immune system to prevent infections while also capable of reducing inflammatory reactions. Beta glucans are not recommended for individuals with Crohn’s disease or hidradenitis suppurativa, but daily supplementation with about a teaspoon of nutritional yeast’s worth significantly benefited ragweed allergy sufferers compared with placebo. To read the original article click here.

The post What to Eat to Help with Seasonal Allergies (Hay Fever) appeared first on Amazing Health Advances.

Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipe

AHA Publisher — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 08:00:56 +0000

Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CN – It may sound impossible, but vegan mac and cheese recipes are on the rise as more and more people follow a vegan diet. You may wonder how and why anyone would mess with a true classic. I admit, macaroni and cheese is one of my all-time favorite comfort foods. Cheese and pasta: What’s not to love? Unfortunately, the cheese and pasta. If you’re vegan, cheese is off the menu. If you’re lactose intolerant, all that cheese can really upset your stomach. And those heavy carbs? Well, all that gluten doesn’t sit well with many people. Enter my vegan mac and cheese recipe. Mac and cheese … without the cheese? Yup, you read that right. You can absolutely enjoy mac and cheese without the cheese! Key Ingredients We get creative with the ingredients in this vegan mac and cheese recipe. Using butternut squash, coconut cream and nutritional yeast achieves that creamy, silky texture with no dairy. Plus, you get an infusion of butternut squash’s healthy benefits. Did you know that butternut squash nutrition is packed with vitamin A and vitamin C, boosting the immune system? This bright vegetable is also loaded with antioxidants and known to reduce inflammation. Adding spices also gives this vegan mac and cheese a ton of flavor. This is no blue box macaroni and cheese. I especially love adding turmeric to this recipe because of its anti-inflammatory power. We also use gluten-free pasta, making this vegan butternut squash mac and cheese an excellent choice for those avoiding gluten. How to Make Vegan Mac and Cheese You’re going to love how simple it is to make this vegan mac and cheese recipe. Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and place the squash face down. Bake it for 40 minutes or until tender. Baking the squash makes it a lot easier to whip into a “sauce.” At the same time, start boiling the pasta. When the squash is ready, scoop the inside of the squash into a high-powered blender or food processor. Next, add the rest of the ingredients, except for the pasta, to the blender. Blend it all on high until the vegan mac and cheese sauce is well-combined. Add more spices as necessary. How gorgeous is that “cheese” sauce? Next, stir together the gluten-free pasta and butternut squash sauce in a large mixing bowl, making sure the noodles are well-coated. Spoon the vegan mac and cheese into bowls, and top with green onions and freshly cracked black pepper. Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipe Mac and cheese … without the cheese? You can absolutely enjoy vegan mac and cheese! Get creative (and healthier) with the ingredients. INGREDIENTS 1 butternut squash, sliced in ½ lengthwise and seeds discarded ½ white onion, chopped ¼ cup coconut cream 1 teaspoon mustard 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder ½ cup nutritional yeast 8 cups gluten-free pasta noodles of choice, cooked INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven to 400 F. On a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper, place the squash face down. Bake for 40 minutes, or until for tender. Boil and cook the pasta. Scoop the inside of the squash into a high-powdered blender or food processor. Add the remaining ingredients (except the pasta) and blend on high until well-combined, adding more herbs and spices as needed. In a large mixing bowl gently stir together the pasta and sauce. Serve topped with green onions. NOTES Experiment with different spices and amounts to get just the right flavor for your tastes. You can use any pasta of your choice, whether it be gluten-free or not. Eat this vegan mac and cheese as a main dish or side — your choice! To read the original article click here.

The post Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipe appeared first on Amazing Health Advances.

Countering Stress-Induced Immune Suppression with Diet

AHA Publisher — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 07:00:48 +0000

Michael Greger M.D. FACLM via Nutrition Facts – How might we improve immune function in children and adults under physical or psychological stress? “Natural immunomodulators”—compounds that might regulate our immune systems naturally—”are getting more and more popular. The popularity, however, often brings over-optimistic claims and mediocre effects.” Such mythical beasts have been sought after for centuries. The current market is full of all sorts of supplements “promising the golden fleece”—inexpensive and without side effects, yet actively boosting our immune systems. “Many are simply repeating claims with hardly any substantial scientific background” to support them. On the other hand, there’s beta-glucan, which has undergone more than 10,000 scientific studies and clinical trials. Wait, what? If you remember, beta-glucan is the fiber in nutritional yeast I talked about previously in my video Preserving Immune Function in Athletes with Nutritional Yeast, and it is able to decrease episodes of common illnesses in young children. What about in adults? But, first, why can’t researchers just come up with a vaccine against the common cold virus? Because there is no single common cold virus. Hundreds of different viruses are implicated in causing cold-like symptoms, which is why there is so much interest in finding a general, nonspecific immune booster that works across the board, as I discuss in my video Flashback Friday: Best Food to Counter Stress-Induced Immune Suppression. Immunoglobulin A (IgA) is an antibody that plays a crucial role in the immune function of our moist membranes, such as our eyes, nose, and mouth. As you can see at 1:27 in my video, beta-glucan supplementation can increase IgA levels in the saliva within four days at a daily dose of 400mg, but not at 100mg. So, the effective amount is found in about two daily teaspoons of nutritional yeast, but a half teaspoon is ineffective. A single teaspoon’s worth didn’t do much until research participants exercised. As you can see at 1:48 in my video, two hours after a 50–minute bout of strenuous cycling in a hot, humid environment, those who had been on the yeast beta-glucan did get that IgA boost. However, beta-glucans failed to boost the antimicrobial activity of white blood cells of subjects who had been taking about a tablespoon’s worth a day, as you can see at 2:06 in my video. What we care about, though, are clinical outcomes. Do those consuming beta-glucans suffer significantly fewer infections? How about a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled nutritional study to see if yeast beta-glucan can improve our immune defense system? Sounds good! One hundred people were followed for 26 weeks. Fifty subjects got about a tablespoon of nutritional yeast’s worth of beta-glucan a day, and the other half got a placebo. Participants counted how many episodes of the common cold they got, and there was no significant difference. If you look only at the first half of the study duration, during cold season, there did appear to be fewer infections in the beta-glucan group, but going back and looking at your data after the fact is what’s called a post-hoc analysis, which is frowned upon by the scientific community because it increases the likelihood that your findings are due to chance. However, those who did end up getting sick while on the beta-glucan did genuinely appear to suffer milder symptoms, as you can see at 3:09 in my video. A similar, larger study had similar findings. The severity of the colds may have lessened, but, in the main analysis, there was no significant difference in the number of times people got colds in the first place. Indeed, “no significant differences between the treatment and placebo groups in the number of SRI [symptomatic respiratory infection] episodes” were seen in other studies, and there was no significant effect on upper respiratory tract infection outcomes either. So, overall, the results were pretty disappointing. But, wait a second. What about my previous video that I mentioned at the start of this article? The one about preserving immune function in athletes with nutritional yeast. In that video, I had discussed how researchers had found a significant drop in cold symptoms at two weeks and at four weeks after a marathon at doses of one teaspoon of yeast’s worth of beta-glucan a day and also at two teaspoons’ worth. Okay, the subjects had just run a marathon, though…but, wait. Remember the study where the effect only seemed to emerge after strenuous exercise? That’s where beta-glucan seems to shine: counteracting the toll that extreme physical exertion can have on our immune function. In an athlete, that may just mean some lost training or practice days, but for soldiers or firefighters, for example, maintaining one’s health—even in the context of heavy physical stress—could be critical. Yes, but that’s counteracting the effects of physical stress. What about mental stress? Stressful life events can impair our moist membrane defenses, such that “psychological stress [has] been shown to increase susceptibility to the common cold and increased upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) episodes.” So we’re talking stressed-out people getting more colds and worse colds than people under less stress. Can beta-glucan help in any way? Indeed, in a study of healthy women under “moderate levels of psychological stress,” those taking about a teaspoon of nutritional yeast’s worth of beta-glucans every day for 12 weeks were 60 percent less likely to report experiencing symptoms like a sore throat, stuffy or runny nose, or cough. “This strongly suggests that…yeast beta-glucan is able to counteract the negative effects of stress on the immune system,” and, as you can see at 5:24 in my video, the subjects on beta-glucan experienced 41 percent greater vigor, which is a measure that encompasses “physical energy, mental acuity, and emotional well-being.” So, they just felt better, too. When we put all the studies together, yeast beta-glucans do appear to have “an immune strengthening effect,” at least in children and those under physical or mental stress. KEY TAKEAWAYS Beta-glucan, the fiber in nutritional yeast, is able to decrease episodes of common illnesses in young children. The antibody immunoglobulin A (IgA) is important for our moist membranes, including our eyes, nose, and mouth. About two daily teaspoons of nutritional yeast can increase IgA levels in saliva within four days. Yeast beta-glucan intake may improve our immune defense system, able to reduce the severity of colds. Two and four weeks after subjects ran a marathon, researchers found significant drops in cold symptoms at doses of one and two teaspoons of yeast’s worth of beta-glucan a day. Beta-glucan seems to excel at counteracting extreme physical exertion and psychological stress. Overall, yeast beta-glucans appear to have “an immune strengthening effect” in children and those under physical or mental stress. To read the original article click here.

The post Countering Stress-Induced Immune Suppression with Diet appeared first on Amazing Health Advances.