Prebiotic Fiber May Help Reduce Common Cold Symptoms

Prebiotics function as a food source for beneficial bacteria in the gut. A new study has found that a prebiotic fiber derived from guar gum may help reduce common cold symptoms.

Participants in the study included 96 healthy adults. They were given 5.2 grams of partially hydrolyzed guar gum fiber or a placebo daily for 12 weeks. Participants used a diary to record cold-like symptoms. Blood and fecal samples were used to measure levels of short-term fatty acids.

Participants in the prebiotic group saw a significant reduction in symptoms including runny nose, plugged nose, general malaise, and chills. They also saw a lower severity of cold-like symptoms compared to the placebo group.

In addition, participants in the prebiotic group saw significantly higher levels of short-term fatty acids compared to the placebo group.

The study was conducted by researchers from Shiga University of Medical Science. It was published in Volume 26, 2022 of the jounral European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences.

Probiotics were found to help reduce the incidence of the common cold in a previous study.