Study: Advantages of elderberry in the event of a cold symptoms among air travelers
Study: Advantages of elderberry in the event of a cold symptoms among air travelers
This is part of October 2016 Special Issue on Immunology. Read the Volle edition or .
Reference
tiralongo e, wee ss, lea ra. The addition with elderberries reduces the time of cold and the symptoms among air travelers: a randomized, double -blind, placebo -controlled clinical study. nutrients . 2016; 8 (4): 182.
objective
It should be determined whether a standardized membrane -filtered elderberry extract (Berrypharma; Iprona, Italy) is effective in the prevention of cold symptoms in long -haul flight trips
Design
double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study
participant
All participants were Economy Class flight travelers on an at least 7-hour flight with less than 12-hour stopover and at least 4-day stay at their destination. 325 adults were recorded and 312 completed the study. All participants were at least 18 years old and had a good general state of health with an average age of 50 years; 66 % were female. 54 % had received a vaccine more than 10 days before the study began; 96 % were non -smokers; 70 % had a travel time of more than 16 hours; 82 % traveled on vacation. The subjects were recruited from the Gold Coast region in Australia and traveled between April 2013 and December 2014.
Intervention
The study intervention was a holundere extract, with each capsule contained 300 mg holundere extract [22% polyphenols (ie, quercetin and its glycosides, rutin); 15% anthocyanins (ie, cyanidine and pelargonidine glycosides) and 150 mg of rice flour ] . Placebo contained unanimous aids and was identical in appearance.
The participants were randomized into 2 groups that either received the study medication or placebo, starting with an initial dose of 2 capsules per day 10 days before air travel (initial value; –10 days), followed by an overseasis of 3 capsules per day, which were previously taken (–2 days) to 4 or 5 days after arrival (+4/5 days). During the entire study period (from day –10 to day +4/5), a daily diary was conducted to write down cold symptoms as well as additional health problems and additional medication.
... We have to wait for better, high -quality and well -founded studies to find out whether these herbal extracts meet the standards of scientific proof of prophylaxis and treatment of respiratory diseases in connection with air travel.
study parameters evaluated
The participants took part in a number of surveys during the study period - at the beginning of the course (-10 days), before the trip (–2 days) and after the trip (+4/5 days). The Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey (Wursss-21) was used to evaluate the quality of life in connection with respiratory symptoms, the SF-12 rated the general quality of life, and the perceived stress scale (PSS) was used to measure the perception of stress by the participants. The cold diagnosis was assessed by measuring the Jackson scores.
primary result measurements
The total number of colds was measured for the 6 days before the end of the study (days –2/–1 to days +4/ +5).
important knowledge
twenty -nine of 312 participants (9 %) suffered from a well -defined cold (12 under elderberry and 17 under placebo; not significant difference: p = 0.4). Overall, the placebo group had a longer duration of the cold symptoms (117 days vs. 57 days; p = 0.02) and higher symptom values (583 vs. 247; p = 0.05) compared to the elderberry group.
practice implications
Black elderberry ( sambucus nigra )-Interior has shown in previous clinical studies (including those discussed below) that it reduces the duration and symptoms of both flu and cold. This study aimed to find out whether elder is effective when preventing colds and reducing their duration and symptoms, especially in connection with air travel.
It was shown that the extract made of black elderberry inhibits human influenza a (H1N1) infection in vitro by binding to H1N1 virions and thereby blocking the ability of the viruses to infect host cells. Effectiveness positive with the well-known anti-influenza activities of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and Amantadin.
In a double -blind, placebo -controlled, randomized study, the extract made of black elderberry (sambucol) reduced the duration of the flu symptoms by 3 to 4 days. In addition, the blood serum of the participants during the convalescence phase in the Sambucol group showed a higher antibody level against the influenza virus than in the control group. 2
Another study assessed the effect of sambucol products on the healthy immune system-namely their effect on cytokin production. The production of inflammatory cytokines was tested using blood from blood from 12 healthy human donors. Adhering monocytes were separated from peripheral blood lymphocytes and incubated with various sambucol preparations (i.e. sambucol-sparkling berry extract, sambucol syrup made of black elderberry, sambucol immune system and sambucol for children). Production of inflammatory cytokines [interleukin (il) -1 beta, tumor necrosis factor (tnf)-alpha, il-6, il-8] was significantly increased, mainly by the sambucol extract made of black elderberry (from 2 times to 45 times), compared to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an acquaintance Monocyte activator (from 3.6 times to 10.7 times). The most striking increase was found in TNF-Alpha production (44.9 times). The authors came to the conclusion that Sambucol Holunderbeer Extract and its formulations activate the healthy immune system in addition to its antiviral properties by increasing inflammatory cytokin production.
Black elderberries have a dark purple color due to their anthocyans, which are considered active components of the fruit. The excretion of anthocyanes from the plasma seems to follow a first order kinetics, and most anthocyanine compounds are excreted within 4 to 5 hours after taking the urine. A study by Frank et al. showed that the elimination half -time of the entire anthocyane was somewhat lower after eating 278 mg (1.85 h) than after eating 1,852 mg (2.57 h). The urine output rate of intact anthocyanes was quick and seemed to be mono -exponentially with high variability. The low -dose -standardized area under the concentration curve (AUC) and the proportion of orally administered anthocyans, which are found unchanged in the urine, indicate a low bioavailability of these compounds.
The product used in the current study consisted of 600–900 mg elderberry extract with 90–135 mg anthocyanes every day. This dose was far lower than the doses used in the randomized study by Zakay-Rones to Sambucol, in which an extract with around 1,900 mg of anthocyanes was used. Since most active ingredients are excreted within 5 hours, it may be necessary to dose elderberry 4 to 5 times a day in order to achieve a 24-hour anti-influenza effect of the plant at all. It is unknown whether this applies to the rhinoviruses and other cold viruses.
50 % of the subjects used in the elderberry and the placebo group who developed cold symptoms, an accompanying medication to relieve the symptoms. This represents a significant disruptive factor when interpreting the results. As a group, the participants used 25 different conventional drugs and 1 natural remedies with cold symptoms. Some participants took 1 medication, others up to 4.
The authors of this study have previously published a similar study in which attempts were made to show that Echinacea root extract is effective to evaluate the evaluation of the respiratory symptoms and the number of participants affected by symptoms of respiratory disease. The results did not achieve any significance. 5 In a similar way, many of the result dimensions did not achieve any significance in the present study. But in these two publications, the authors repeatedly expand the limits of statistical significance by reporting "trends" and "marginal" results instead of adhering to the accepted standard of A p value <0.05, which gives the impression that their studies are more meaningful than they actually are.
Given that I have been living in Hawaii for over 30 years and often travel, every flight that I take (except for the other Hawaiian islands) takes at least 4.5 hours (depending on wind conditions). Whether I travel to the west coast, east coast or to Europe, I find the conditions uncomfortable and stressful and routinely take a herbal formula with echinacea and elderberry to strengthen my immune system. It seems to work. However, we have to wait for better, high -quality and well -founded studies to find out whether these herbal extracts meet the standards of scientific proof of prophylaxis and treatment of respiratory diseases in connection with air travel. In the meantime, I find the tips for the use of risk weighing up clearly in the direction of flu prophylaxis with holundere extracts.
- Roschek B., Fink RC, McMichael MD, Li D., Alberte RS. Elderberry flavonoids tie up and prevent H1N1 infection in vitro. phytochemy . 2009; 70: 1255-1261.
- Zakay-Rones Z., Varsano N., Zlotnik M. et al. In-vitro inhibition of several influenza virus tribes and reduction of symptoms by a elderberry extract (sambucus nigra L.) during an outbreak of Influenza B Panama. j aged complement med . 1995; 1 (4): 361-369.
- Barak V, Halperin T, Kalickman I. The effect of Sambucol, a natural product based on black elderberry, on the production of human cytokines: I. Inflammatory cytokines. EUR cytokine Netw . 2001; 12 (2): 290-296.
- Frank T, Janssen M, Netzet G, Christian B, Bitsch I, Netzel M. Closing and excretion of anthocyans The elderberry (sambucus nigra L.) in healthy people. Methods you will find Exp Clin Pharmacol . 2007; 29 (8): 525-533.
- tiralongo e, Lea ra, Wee SS, Hanna mm, Griffiths Lr. Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study on Echinacea supplement among air travelers. evidence -based complement alternate. Med . 2012; 2012: 417267.