Modulation of Adipose Inflammation and Mitochondrial Pathways by a Yeast-Derived β-1,3/1,6-Glucan and Vitamin Complex: An Open-Label Pilot Study of Lalmin® Immune Pro in Older Overweight Adults.

Chronic low-grade inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction contribute to age- and obesity-related disease, yet few nutritional interventions have been shown to impact both processes. This open-label pilot study evaluated the effects of a 28-day supplementation with Lalmin® Immune Pro – delivering a daily dose of 250 mg yeast-derived β-1,3/1,6-glucan, 13.7 mg zinc, 65.0 μg selenium, and 500 IU vitamin D₂ – in older, overweight adults. Proteomic profiling of subcutaneous adipose tissue was performed using tandem mass tag quantitative proteomics, with pathway-level analysis via Reactome’s CAMERA workflow. 3172 proteins were consistently detected across all samples and used for pathway analysis. A total of 107 pathways were significantly modulated post-supplementation, including downregulation of innate (FDR = 9.3 × 10⁻⁷; LogFC = –0.060) and adaptive immune pathways (FDR = 0.025; LogFC = –0.020). Conversely, mitochondrial pathways were upregulated, including cristae formation (FDR = 6.3 × 10⁻⁵; LogFC = 0.304), protein import (FDR = 1.0 × 10⁻⁵; LogFC = 0.273), and respiratory electron transport (FDR = 1.4 × 10⁻⁵; LogFC = 0.210). Cytokine assays of adipose explant conditioned media revealed significant reductions in the secretion of leptin (–71%), MCP-1 (–50%), IL-8 (–59%), IL-6 (–38%), and MIP-3α (–37%) post-supplementation. These findings suggest that yeast-derived β-glucans may exert dual immunometabolic effects, dampening inflammatory signalling while enhancing mitochondrial function in adipose tissue. A randomised controlled trial of yeast-derived β-1,3/1,6-glucan alone is warranted to confirm these preliminary findings and evaluate their relevance to metabolic health.