“[A] great deal is asked of [our] immune system. On one hand, it has “to respond rapidly and violently to invaders, but at the same time limits both the… response and the collateral damage to the host.” Anaphylactic shock, like when someone with a peanut allergy drops dead after eating a peanut, is an example of an overactive immune response. The flip-side is an underactive immune response, which can put you at risk for infection. If you suffer some severe trauma, for example, it’s not enough to get to a level 1 trauma center. Death related to sepsis, blood infection, is still a major problem. And, a major factor is the depression of our immune system caused by the stress of the trauma. So, what these researchers did was try to stimulate immune function in trauma victims by injecting them with beta glucan, a type of fiber found in yeast—mostly …