Center for Molecular Metabolism, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, 200 Xiaolingwei Street, Nanjing, 210094, People's Republic of China.
Eur J Nutr. 2021 Dec;60(8):4175-4187. doi: 10.1007/s00394-021-02566-4. Epub 2021 Apr 26.
Yeast β-glucans are known for their immune-modulating effects; however, their effects on human upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to use a systematic review and meta-analysis approach to investigate the effects of yeast β-glucans for the prevention and treatment of URTIs in healthy subjects.
Databases including Pubmed, Web of Science, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library were searched and 13 RCTs investigating the effects of yeast β-glucans on the incidence, duration, and severity of URTIs in healthy subjects were included.
The results showed that compared to the placebo group, yeast β-glucan could significantly reduce the incidence of URTIs (OR = 0.345, 95% CI = 0.192 to 0.620, p < 0.001), decrease the average number of URTI episodes (SMD = - 0.315, 95% CI = - 0.500 to - 0.130, p < 0.05), and decrease the duration of URTIs (SMD = - 0.312, 95% CI = - 0.561 to - 0.064, p < 0.001). Improved severity of symptoms was found in yeast β-glucan group compared to the placebo group in the majority of included studies. In addition, yeast β-glucan was well tolerated and safe in general.
These findings suggest a positive effect of yeast β-glucans on human URTIs. However, due to the high heterogeneity and small number of included studies, more high-quality research and clinical trials are warranted.
酵母 β-葡聚糖以其免疫调节作用而闻名；然而，其对人类上呼吸道感染（URTIs）的影响尚不清楚。本研究旨在采用系统评价和荟萃分析的方法，调查酵母 β-葡聚糖预防和治疗健康受试者 URTIs 的效果。
检索 Pubmed、Web of Science、EMBASE 和 Cochrane Library 等数据库，纳入 13 项关于酵母 β-葡聚糖对健康受试者 URTIs 发生率、持续时间和严重程度影响的 RCT 研究。
结果表明，与安慰剂组相比，酵母 β-葡聚糖可显著降低 URTIs 的发生率（OR=0.345，95%CI=0.192 至 0.620，p<0.001），减少 URTI 发作的平均次数（SMD=−0.315，95%CI=−0.500 至−0.130，p<0.05），并缩短 URTIs 的持续时间（SMD=−0.312，95%CI=−0.561 至−0.064，p<0.001）。与安慰剂组相比，大多数纳入研究均发现酵母 β-葡聚糖组的症状严重程度得到改善。此外，酵母 β-葡聚糖一般具有良好的耐受性和安全性。
这些发现表明酵母 β-葡聚糖对人类 URTIs 具有积极影响。然而，由于异质性高且纳入研究数量较少，需要更多高质量的研究和临床试验。
