Yeast Beta-Glucan Supplement Reprograms Bone Marrow Stem Cells to Restore Anti-Tumor Immunity in Obesity
Key Insights
Researchers from Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin demonstrated for the first time that dietary yeast beta-glucan (search) reprograms bone marrow stem cells to enhance anti-tumor immune responses.
The supplement restored innate immunity in obese mice and reversed long-term immune memory defects that persist even after weight loss, a major unmet clinical challenge.
Yeast beta-glucan (search) is already widely used as a food supplement with an excellent safety record, making it a realistic candidate for clinical translation.
Researchers from Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and University College Dublin (UCD) have shown for the first time that a food supplement made from yeast can reprogram bone marrow stem cells to produce stronger, cancer-fighting immune cells—an effect that persists even after weight loss.
The findings, published in the scientific journal Cell Reports, demonstrate that dietary delivery of yeast beta-glucan (search) is sufficient to induce trained immunity, a form of innate immune memory previously only achievable through injection-based approaches.
"We wanted to investigate whether a common dietary supplement (yeast beta-glucan (search)) could reprogramme early-stage immune cells in the bone marrow to produce long-lasting, enhanced anti-tumor immune responses," said Dr. Anna Ledwith, postdoctoral researcher in the Roche group and first author on the paper.
The study was led by Associate Professor Frederick J Sheedy, Associate Professor in Immunology at the TCD School of Biochemistry & Immunology, and Professor Helen Roche, Professor in Nutrigenomics at the UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science and Director of the UCD Conway Institute.
Obesity (search)-Driven Immune Dysfunction as a Therapeutic Target
Obesity (search) affects millions of people worldwide and profoundly disrupts the immune system, increasing the risk of infections and cancer. Critically, even after weight loss, immune defects persist—a phenomenon that represents a major unmet clinical challenge. The research team sought to determine whether yeast beta-glucan (search) could overcome this immune dysfunction.
Mice were fed either a standard or high-fat diet supplemented with yeast beta-glucan (search) for 4 to 12 weeks. Their immune systems were then challenged with different types of cancer cells, including colorectal, skin, and breast cancer (search) models. The study also tested whether the protective effects of yeast supplementation persisted after weight loss.
Reprogramming Bone Marrow Stem Cells Through Diet
The results revealed that yeast beta-glucan (search) supplementation changed how immune cells develop in the bone marrow, effectively reprogramming hematopoietic stem cells to produce enhanced anti-tumor innate immune responses. This dietary intervention restored anti-tumor innate immunity in obese mice and, notably, reversed long-term immune memory defects that persisted even after weight loss.
"This is the first demonstration that dietary delivery of yeast beta-glucan (search) is sufficient to induce trained immunity through reprogramming of bone marrow stem cells," said Professor Helen Roche. "Previous research required injections. Crucially, this dietary intervention restores anti-tumor innate immunity in obese mice and reverses long-term immune memory defects that persist even after weight loss, a major unmet clinical challenge."
A Realistic Candidate for Clinical Translation
Yeast beta-glucan (search) is already widely used as a food supplement and has an excellent safety record, making it a realistic candidate for clinical translation. The researchers believe that yeast-based supplements could become a safe and natural way to help the immune system fight cancer more effectively.
At the same time, cancer remains a leading cause of death globally, and there is an urgent need for safe, accessible strategies to restore immune function. The study's findings open the door to potential dietary interventions that could complement existing cancer therapies, particularly for patients whose immune systems have been compromised by obesity (search).