Effects of a Combination of Elderberry and Reishi Extracts on the Duration and Severity of Respiratory Tract Infections in Elderly Subjects: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Elderly people are particularly vulnerable to respiratory tract infections, so natural strategies to ameliorate the duration and severity of these infections are of great interest in this population. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the consumption of a combination of elder...
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doaj-4573e3daa52f4bb4949355311bba3d792020-11-25T04:00:25ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172020-11-01108259825910.3390/app10228259Effects of a Combination of Elderberry and Reishi Extracts on the Duration and Severity of Respiratory Tract Infections in Elderly Subjects: A Randomized Controlled TrialCarlos Gracián-Alcaide0Jose A. Maldonado-Lobón1Elisabeth Ortiz-Tikkakoski2Alejandro Gómez-Vilchez3Juristo Fonollá4Jose L. López-Larramendi5Mónica Olivares6Ruth Blanco-Rojo7Nursing Home “Residencia de Mayores Claret”, 18011 Granada, SpainResearch & Development Department, Biosearch Life, 18004 Granada, SpainNursing Home “Residencia de Mayores Claret”, 18011 Granada, SpainNursing Home “Residencia de Mayores Claret”, 18011 Granada, SpainResearch & Development Department, Biosearch Life, 18004 Granada, SpainCommercial & Marketing Department, Biosearch Life, 18004 Granada, SpainResearch & Development Department, Biosearch Life, 18004 Granada, SpainResearch & Development Department, Biosearch Life, 18004 Granada, SpainElderly people are particularly vulnerable to respiratory tract infections, so natural strategies to ameliorate the duration and severity of these infections are of great interest in this population. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the consumption of a combination of elderberry and reishi extracts on the incidence, severity, and duration of respiratory tract infections in a group of healthy elderly volunteers. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study was performed during the winter season. A group of 60 nursing home residents ≥65 years of age was randomly assigned to receive a combination of 1.5 g of elderberry +0.5 g of reishi or a placebo daily for 14 weeks. Data about the health conditions of the volunteers were evaluated and recorded by a medical doctor every 2 weeks. The incidence of respiratory infections was similar in both groups. However, volunteers in the extract group presented a significantly lower duration of common cold events (2.5 vs. 4.8 days, <i>p</i> = 0.033).and a significantly lower probability of having a high severity influenza-like illness event (<i>p</i> = 0.039). Moreover, the incidence of sleep disturbances was significantly lower in the extract group (<i>p</i> = 0.049). Therefore, the administration of a combination of elderberry and reishi extracts to the elderly population during the winter season might be used as a natural strategy to reduce the duration and severity of respiratory tract infections.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/22/8259elderberryreishirespiratory tract infectionscommon coldinfluenza-like illnessrespiratory infection symptoms |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Carlos Gracián-Alcaide Jose A. Maldonado-Lobón Elisabeth Ortiz-Tikkakoski Alejandro Gómez-Vilchez Juristo Fonollá Jose L. López-Larramendi Mónica Olivares Ruth Blanco-Rojo |
spellingShingle |
Carlos Gracián-Alcaide Jose A. Maldonado-Lobón Elisabeth Ortiz-Tikkakoski Alejandro Gómez-Vilchez Juristo Fonollá Jose L. López-Larramendi Mónica Olivares Ruth Blanco-Rojo Effects of a Combination of Elderberry and Reishi Extracts on the Duration and Severity of Respiratory Tract Infections in Elderly Subjects: A Randomized Controlled Trial Applied Sciences elderberry reishi respiratory tract infections common cold influenza-like illness respiratory infection symptoms |
author_facet |
Carlos Gracián-Alcaide Jose A. Maldonado-Lobón Elisabeth Ortiz-Tikkakoski Alejandro Gómez-Vilchez Juristo Fonollá Jose L. López-Larramendi Mónica Olivares Ruth Blanco-Rojo |
author_sort |
Carlos Gracián-Alcaide |
title |
Effects of a Combination of Elderberry and Reishi Extracts on the Duration and Severity of Respiratory Tract Infections in Elderly Subjects: A Randomized Controlled Trial |
title_short |
Effects of a Combination of Elderberry and Reishi Extracts on the Duration and Severity of Respiratory Tract Infections in Elderly Subjects: A Randomized Controlled Trial |
title_full |
Effects of a Combination of Elderberry and Reishi Extracts on the Duration and Severity of Respiratory Tract Infections in Elderly Subjects: A Randomized Controlled Trial |
title_fullStr |
Effects of a Combination of Elderberry and Reishi Extracts on the Duration and Severity of Respiratory Tract Infections in Elderly Subjects: A Randomized Controlled Trial |
title_full_unstemmed |
Effects of a Combination of Elderberry and Reishi Extracts on the Duration and Severity of Respiratory Tract Infections in Elderly Subjects: A Randomized Controlled Trial |
title_sort |
effects of a combination of elderberry and reishi extracts on the duration and severity of respiratory tract infections in elderly subjects: a randomized controlled trial |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Applied Sciences |
issn |
2076-3417 |
publishDate |
2020-11-01 |
description |
Elderly people are particularly vulnerable to respiratory tract infections, so natural strategies to ameliorate the duration and severity of these infections are of great interest in this population. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the consumption of a combination of elderberry and reishi extracts on the incidence, severity, and duration of respiratory tract infections in a group of healthy elderly volunteers. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study was performed during the winter season. A group of 60 nursing home residents ≥65 years of age was randomly assigned to receive a combination of 1.5 g of elderberry +0.5 g of reishi or a placebo daily for 14 weeks. Data about the health conditions of the volunteers were evaluated and recorded by a medical doctor every 2 weeks. The incidence of respiratory infections was similar in both groups. However, volunteers in the extract group presented a significantly lower duration of common cold events (2.5 vs. 4.8 days, <i>p</i> = 0.033).and a significantly lower probability of having a high severity influenza-like illness event (<i>p</i> = 0.039). Moreover, the incidence of sleep disturbances was significantly lower in the extract group (<i>p</i> = 0.049). Therefore, the administration of a combination of elderberry and reishi extracts to the elderly population during the winter season might be used as a natural strategy to reduce the duration and severity of respiratory tract infections. |
topic |
elderberry reishi respiratory tract infections common cold influenza-like illness respiratory infection symptoms |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/22/8259 |
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