{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,5]],"date-time":"2026-02-05T03:06:33Z","timestamp":1770260793679,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,4]],"date-time":"2026-02-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1770163200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"IGY Immune Technologies and Life Sciences Inc."}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) and exercise-induced immune perturbations are common in adults and may adversely affect quality of life, productivity, and physical performance. Immunoglobulin Y (IgY), a food-derived antibody with broad antimicrobial activity, has demonstrated immunomodulatory potential in preclinical and limited clinical studies. This study evaluated the effects of a multi-pathogen-specific IgY supplement (Muno-IgY) on respiratory health, immune and inflammatory markers, exercise-induced physiological stress, and gut microbiome composition in healthy adults. Methods: In this 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 28 healthy adults with a history of URTI were randomly allocated to receive Muno-IgY or placebo and URTI incidence, duration, and severity were recorded daily. Serum immune and inflammatory biomarkers were assessed longitudinally and in response to a standardized exercise challenge. Gut microbiome composition was analyzed using shotgun metagenomic sequencing at baseline and week 12. Safety and tolerability were assessed throughout the study. Results: URTI incidence was lower in the Muno-IgY group compared with placebo (14.3% vs. 35.7%), with shorter average duration and fewer missed workdays, though differences were not statistically significant (p &gt; 0.05). Following an acute exercise challenge, Muno-IgY supplementation resulted in a significant increase in serum IgA at 24 h post-exercise (p = 0.022) and a significantly greater reduction in lactate dehydrogenase at 1 h post-exercise compared with placebo (p &lt; 0.0001). Exploratory gut microbiome analyses suggested favorable directional shifts, though these changes were not statistically tested. Conclusions: In this exploratory pilot study, Muno-IgY supplementation was safe and associated with significant improvements in selected markers of exercise-induced immune response and muscle damage. Numerical trends in URTI incidence and gut microbiome composition were observed but were not statistically significant. These findings are hypothesis-generating and support further evaluation of Muno-IgY in larger, adequately powered clinical trials.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu18030524","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,4]],"date-time":"2026-02-04T12:51:56Z","timestamp":1770209516000},"page":"524","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Muno-IgY Supplementation Improves Respiratory Health, Immune Response, and Exercise-Induced Physiological Stress in Healthy Adults: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1263-0870","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shahna","family":"Fathima","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"IGY Immune Technologies & Life Sciences Inc., 4 East Lake Ave NE, Unit 1A, Airdrie, AB T4A2G8, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3214-4482","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paul E.","family":"Kilgore","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Research Center, CS Mott Center for Human Growth and Development, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA"},{"name":"Center for Emerging and Infectious Diseases, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tina","family":"Sarkar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IGY Immune Technologies & Life Sciences Inc., 4 East Lake Ave NE, Unit 1A, Airdrie, AB T4A2G8, Canada"},{"name":"Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Navneet","family":"Sharma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IGY Immune Technologies & Life Sciences Inc., 4 East Lake Ave NE, Unit 1A, Airdrie, AB T4A2G8, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-0835-8212","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Huan H.","family":"Nguyen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IGY Immune Technologies & Life Sciences Inc., 4 East Lake Ave NE, Unit 1A, Airdrie, AB T4A2G8, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100986","DOI":"10.1016\/j.eclinm.2021.100986","article-title":"Global burden of upper respiratory infections in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2019","volume":"37","author":"Jin","year":"2021","journal-title":"EClinicalMedicine"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1519","DOI":"10.1185\/03007995.2015.1062355","article-title":"Impact of cough and common cold on productivity, absenteeism, and daily life in the United States: ACHOO Survey","volume":"31","author":"Dicpinigaitis","year":"2015","journal-title":"Curr. 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