With cold and flu season upon us, providing good nutrition to the body is an ongoing affair to maintain proper functioning of the body, including optimal immune function. There is a significant body of scientific studies that have demonstrated the importance of overall good nutrition in maintaining a healthy immune system, as well as the role of specific nutritional components as immune boosters.
 
Many consumers are looking for a more holistic way to boost their immunity and are turning to botanicals that may be beneficial to them. Included among them, just to name a few, are:
 
Green Tea: Tea contains an important group of flavonols called catechins that may have immunomodulatory properties. In animal models of inflammatory disease, catechins, such as EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), have been shown to affect migration of immune cells to sites of inflammation and may have positive effects on chronic inflammatory disease.
 
Curcumin: This compound is found in turmeric, the major spice in curry, and comes from an herb found in the ginger family. Turmeric has been used in Ayurvedic medicine since ancient times for a variety of ailments. Curcumin has been shown to inhibit pro-inflammatory genes and cytokines.
 
Boswellia: This is another traditional Ayurvedic medicine and is made from the lipophilic fraction of the gum of the Boswellia serrata tree and is commonly known as “frankincense.” In a few small clinical trials, Boswellia extracts have been found to have beneficial effects in chronic inflammatory bowel disease.
 
Echinacea: Commonly referred to as the purple coneflower, this botanical preparation has gotten considerable interest as a potential remedy for the common cold. Some evidence suggests that Echinacea’s mode of action in immunity is on phagocytic immune cells, rather than the T-cells and B-cells involved in adaptive immunity. However, evaluation of available clinical trials in humans has been unable to demonstrate a consistent benefit of Echinacea treatment over a placebo. One problem in evaluating these studies is that they used different parts of the plant. Since some parts of the plant may be effective modulators of the immune response while others are not, additional study of Echinacea under more rigorous standardization is necessary.
 
Mushroom: There has been growing interest in the use of mushroom extracts to promote immunity. To date, the evidence is not solid, but this is an area that will be receiving much more attention in the future.
 
The ultimate success of a new fortified food product will be due to more than just a pretty package. The successful formulation of a fortified food to support immune function must meet several challenges and requires consideration of many different factors. For example, it is important to employ appropriate formulation methods to mask any unwanted changes in product taste or texture that might be caused by adding immune-supporting ingredients.
 
To get started on formulation development for your immune support product, visit the Solutions Starter page at fortitechpremixes.com. You can also learn more about the market for these types of products by visiting the research section of our website and downloading, for free, our technical paper, titled “Defend.”