Exercise can have positive impacts on our immune system. As we go from being physically inactive to active, our infection risk declines. If we overtrain, however, as hardcore athletes often do, we may put excessive stress on our body and actually increase our risk of infection.
Beta-glucan, a special type of fibre found in baker’s, nutritional, and brewer’s yeasts, may prevent this immune decline in marathon runners. Indeed, a study found that we can better maintain our level of circulating white blood cells after exhaustive exercise by consuming beta-glucan.
Nutritional yeast may also help improve mood. Elite athletes normally experience mood deterioration before and after a marathon, but researchers found that a little nutritional yeast may improve a wide range of emotional states, reducing feelings of tenseness, fatigue, confusion, and anger, while at the same time increasing perceived vigor.
A note of caution: People with the autoimmune diseases Crohn’s disease and hidradenitis suppurativa may want to avoid nutritional yeast.
Source: www.nutritionfacts.org
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