Search Results (4)

Background/Objectives: Dry eye disease (DED) significantly impairs quality of life, affecting physical, social, and psychological well-being, as well as reducing workplace productivity. While lutein and zeaxanthin supplements have been shown to improve ocular health, existing research often overlooks the efficacy of lower dosages and shorter durations of supplementation. This study investigated the effects of combined supplementation with lutein, zeaxanthin, and elderberries in 110 voluntary participants through a randomized controlled trial. Methods: Participants took 6 mg of lutein and 1 mg of zeaxanthin, along with 100 mg elderberry extract once daily for a duration of 20 days. Ocular health was assessed using the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), while immune status was evaluated with the Immune Status Questionnaire (ISQ). Results: Results showed that combined supplementation significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the OSDI scores in the intervention group from 38.15 ± 11.14 to 18.26 ± 5.57, reflecting a 52.2% reduction. A similar trend was observed with the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), indicating significant (p < 0.05) improvement from 5.31 ± 1.62 to 6.73 ± 1.74, equivalent to a 26.7% improvement. Although the intervention group showed a 15.9% improvement in ISQ scores by the study’s end, this was not significantly different from the placebo group, suggesting that higher dosages or longer durations may be needed to observe a meaningful effect. Additionally, findings from the Food Frequency Questionnaire revealed that the average dietary intake of lutein and zeaxanthin among participants was only 663.49 µg, equating to just 5.5% of the suggested optimal daily intake. This low consumption is concerning, as it is inversely correlated with the risk of ocular diseases. Conclusions: Collectively, these findings support the use of combined supplementation as an adjuvant approach to improving ocular health. Full article

Immune fitness (i.e., adequate functioning of the immune system) is essential to maintain health, prevent and resolve disease, and improve quality of life. This article provides an overview of how to assess immune fitness. It discusses how a single-item rating scale can be used to assess immune fitness. The scale can be used in conjunction with a single “yes” or “no” question asking whether the individual is experiencing reduced immune fitness. Retrospective assessments can be complemented with the Immune Status Questionnaire (ISQ) to provide more insight into the type and frequency of experiencing specific immune-related complaints. Momentary assessments of immune fitness can be complemented with biomarker measurements in body fluids. As individuals may be unaware of systemic inflammation (e.g., biomarker concentrations outside the normal range), it remains critical to combine immune fitness assessments with biomarker measurements of immune functioning. Full article

The Western 24 h society poses great psychological and physical demands on people, which may result in complaints such as stress or being overworked, and reduced immune fitness. Having a holiday may be a good way to reduce work-related stress and reduced mood and improve perceived immune fitness. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to assess the impact of having a holiday or work on perceived immune fitness and mood. A survey was held among N = 246 young adults who were on holiday in Fiji, and N = 87 subjects who were in Fiji for work. The sample comprised both students and individuals with a job at home. Past year immune status was assessed with the Immune Status Questionnaire (ISQ). Current perceived immune functioning and mood were rated from 0 (very poor) to 10 (excellent). Assessments were made for two occasions: (1) the current situation (in Fiji), and (2) at home (before traveling). Compared to being at home, both students and working individuals on holiday in Fiji reported significantly improved immune fitness and significantly improved mood. For example, both groups reported reduction of stress of about 60% while in Fiji. In students who came to Fiji for work or spending a holiday, improvements in perceived immune fitness were more pronounced than in working people coming on holiday in Fiji. In contrast, working people on holiday reported greater improvements in mood compared to students. The magnitude of improvements were significantly greater among women than men. In conclusion, the data suggest that both having a holiday or working in Fiji is associated with significant improvements of mood, which were themselves associated with improved immune fitness. The findings are of importance for the tourism industry as they demonstrate that, in addition to leisure (or being active) as a purpose for having a holiday, the observed mental health benefits and improved perceived immune fitness provide an additional motive to have a holiday. Full article

The self-assessment of perceived immune status is important, as this subjective observation leads individuals to decide whether or not to seek medical help or adapt their lifestyle. In addition, it can be used in clinical settings and research. The aim of this series of studies was to develop and validate a short questionnaire to assess perceived immune functioning. Five surveys were conducted among Dutch and International young healthy adults (18–30 years old), and two others among older age groups with various health complaints. For the first study, an existing immune functioning scale was modified and elaborated resulting in 23 immune-health-related items, of which the occurrence was rated on a 5-point Likert scale. A student sample was surveyed, and the results were used to shorten the 23-item listing into a 7-item scale with a predictive validity of 85%. Items include “sudden high fever”, “diarrhea”, “headache”, “skin problems (e.g., acne and eczema)”, “muscle and joint pain”, “common cold” and “coughing”. The scale is named Immune Status Questionnaire (ISQ), and it aims to assess perceived immune status over the preceding year. The second study revealed that the ISQ score correlated significantly with a 1-item perceived immune functioning (r = 0.383, p < 0.0001). In the third study, the final Likert scale descriptors were determined (“never”, “sometimes”, “regularly”, “often” and “(almost) always)”. The fourth study showed that the test–retest reliability of the ISQ is acceptable (r = 0.80). The fifth study demonstrated the association of ISQ scores with various neuropsychological and health correlates in an international sample, including perceived health and immune fitness, as well as levels of stress, fatigue, depression and anxiety. Study 6 demonstrated significant associations between ISQ scores and experiencing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms in a sample of insomnia patients. Study 7 compared the effect of a dietary intervention in participants reporting “poor health” versus “normal health”. It is shown that ISQ scores can differentiate between those with poor and normal health, and that an effective intervention is associated with a significant improvement in ISQ scores. Data from Study 7 were further used to determine an ISQ cut-off value for reduced immune functioning, and a direct comparison with 1-item perceived immune functioning scores enabled constructing the final scoring format of the ISQ. In conclusion, the ISQ has appropriate face, content, and construct validity and is a reliable, stable and valid method to assess the past 12 month’s perceived immune status. Full article