Yeast plasmolysate food supplement and immune cell activation in lab tests
What it found
A yeast-based food supplement raised certain activation markers on human immune cells grown in lab dishes, but lowered their ability to multiply.
The tests used cells from two blood donors.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Activation markers increased
Adding the yeast supplement raised the levels of three markers on the surface of immune cells in lab dishes. This happened whether the cells had been stimulated or left resting.
Cell growth slowed
When immune cells were stimulated to divide, adding the yeast supplement reduced how fast they multiplied in lab dishes. Higher doses led to slower growth.
Soluble receptor dropped
Stimulated cells released less of a signalling protein into the surrounding liquid when the yeast supplement was added in lab tests. This drop matched the slower cell growth.
Partial recovery under rotation
Rotating the dishes to mimic low gravity cut marker levels by 39% to 76%. Adding the yeast supplement partly or fully brought those marker levels back up in the rotating lab dishes.
Other findings
Supplement ingredients listed
The product tested contains 80% yeast plasmolysate from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, 10% malt extract, 5% honey and 5% orange juice. Per 100 g it provides 5.5 g proteins, 57.2 g carbohydrates and 0.5 g lipids.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that the yeast supplement can change how immune cells behave in lab dishes, especially by raising activation markers on the cell surface.
- They suggest the supplement helps balance the immune system rather than simply pushing it harder, because it did not increase cell numbers.
- The authors say these lab findings support earlier animal and human studies showing the supplement may help the body respond to stress.
How it was done
Low gravity weakens the response of immune cells called T lymphocytes. Earlier work suggested a yeast-based food supplement might help the immune system fight infections, so the authors wanted to see if it could offset this weakening in lab conditions simulating low gravity.
The researchers took white blood cells from two healthy donors and grew them in lab dishes for 3 days. They tested the cells with and without a yeast-based food supplement at three different doses. Some dishes were kept still while others were slowly rotated in a machine that mimics low gravity.
What it can’t tell you
- These are lab dish experiments using cells from only two people, so the results may not reflect what happens inside a living body.
- Lab tests that rotate cells to mimic low gravity cannot show how eating this supplement affects everyday health or immunity in shoppers.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Technopark, Switzerland
The paper
- Title
- Stress-compensation by a food supplement based on yeast plasmolysate in mitogen-activated T lymphocytes under simulated low-gravity
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Schwarzenberg M, Joller P, Cogoli A (2000). Stress-compensation by a food supplement based on yeast plasmolysate in mitogen-activated T lymphocytes under simulated low-gravity. Uchu Seibutsu Kagaku. doi:10.2187/bss.14.3Free full textPubMed 11543151DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error