Yeast-Based Supplement May Enhance Immune Response Against Cancer: Study - Video

A yeast-based dietary supplement may help restore cancer-fighting immune activity impaired by obesity, according to a preclinical study by researchers at Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin.

The study, published in Cell Reports, found that yeast beta-glucan strengthened immune responses against cancer in obese mice by changing how immune cells develop in the bone marrow.

Researchers fed mice standard or high-fat diets supplemented with yeast beta-glucan for four to 12 weeks before exposing them to different types of cancer cells, including colorectal, skin and breast cancer.

The supplement appeared to trigger trained immunity, a process in which early immune cells in the bone marrow undergo long-lasting changes that allow the body's innate immune system to respond more effectively to future threats.

In obese mice, which can develop impaired immune responses that make it harder to fight tumors, yeast beta-glucan restored aspects of anti-tumor immune activity. The researchers also found that the supplement reversed immune memory defects that persisted even after the animals lost weight.

According to the researchers, this is the first evidence that dietary consumption of yeast beta-glucan can induce trained immunity by reprogramming bone marrow stem cells. Previous studies had produced similar effects using injections rather than dietary supplementation.

The findings are potentially important because obesity can cause long-lasting changes in immune function, and some of these changes may remain even after weight loss. Strengthening innate immunity could potentially improve the body's ability to respond to tumors, infections and vaccines.

However, the findings are limited to laboratory mice, and it is not yet known whether the same immune benefits occur in humans. Clinical trials will be needed to determine whether yeast beta-glucan can safely enhance anti-cancer immunity or complement treatments such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

REFERENCE: Anna E. Ledwith, et al.; Yeast β-glucan supplementation supports immunometabolic anti-tumor responses and reverses obesity-induced dysfunction via trained hematopoiesis. Cell Reports, 2026; 45 (7): 117648 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2026.117648