The latest negative health claim opinion from the European Food
Safety Authority (EFSA) finds no immune benefits linked to a
yeast extract supplied by German firm Leiber. EFSA’s Panel on
Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies found that the 17
scientific references submitted by Leiber for its branded
Yestimun ingredient did not demonstrate how the ingredient could
help reduce the common cold. Submitted under article 13.5, the
claimed effect was for “reducing the risk for common cold
infections by decreasing the susceptibility for common cold
infections during the cold season by strengthening the body’s
natural defences and improving the body’s immune defence against
common cold viral infections during the cold season”. Leiber had
submitted 10 human studies, five animal studies and two in vitro
studies in support of Yestimun, a beta-glucan ingredient derived
from brewer’s yeast cell wall. However, EFSA dismissed four of
the human studies as they had been conducted using intravenously
injected beta-glucans,