Seaweed helps prime immune systems naturally and help with vaccines
Worried about the flu this season? Prime your immune system naturally with fucoidan, one of seaweeds natural components, shown to have an impact on lowering the incidence of influenza! Just one of the key extracts in our Infinimin® Immunity multivitamin!
A study in Japan investigated antibody production after influenza vaccination in elderly Japanese men and women with and without oral fucoidan intake.
A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study was conducted with 70 volunteers >60 y of age. They were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups, consuming either fucoidan (300 mg/d) or placebo for 4 wk, and then given a trivalent seasonal influenza vaccine. Serum was sampled at 5 and 20 wk after vaccination to measure the hemagglutination inhibition titer and natural killer cell activity.
The fucoidan group had higher antibody titers against all 3 strains contained in the seasonal influenza virus vaccine than the placebo group. Titers against the B/Brisbane/60/2008 (B) strain increased substantially more in the fucoidan group than in the placebo group over the product consumption period. The immune response against B antigen met the European Union Licensure criteria regarding the geometric mean titer ratio in the fucoidan group (2.4), but not in the placebo group (1.7).
In the fucoidan group, natural killer cell activity tended to increase from baseline 9 wks after fucoidan intake (P = 0.08). In the immunocompromised elderly, fucoidan intake increased antibody production after vaccination, possibly preventing influenza epidemics(1).
A great way to complement traditional influenza vaccines by supplementing with a natural product that only enhances the effect!!
Reference
1. Hirokuni Negishi, et. al. Supplementation of Elderly Japanese Men and Women with Fucoidan from Seaweed Increases Immune Responses to Seasonal Influenza Vaccination.
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/early/2013/09/04/jn.113.179036.short. Date Accessed: 9/25/2016