The Myth of “Nutritional� Yeasts and “Medicinal� Mushrooms

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The Myth of “Nutritional†Yeasts and “Medicinal†Mushrooms

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Kyle Drew

 

I’ve always spent a lot of time in health food stores. I love reading about

the new products coming out, seeing how they’re marketed, and reading up on

the research to support their use.

 

These days, everything old is new again. I still have the first health

magazine I ever bought, (from back in 1984). Back then, they were talking about

things like L-tryptophan and octacosanol and dibencozide. For about a decade,

these products dropped out of favor. Today, they’re back again, complete with

new research and new applications.

 

Another old standard that’s making a comeback is Brewer’s yeast, or “

nutritional yeast.†In my opinion, this is one way in which we’ve taken a

step

back, rather than a step forward. Furthermore, I think there may be no greater

oxymoron in nutrition today than the term, “nutritional yeast.â€

 

Let’s get a few things straight. Yes, you can find the B vitamins in yeast,

and if you’re a vegan, it’s going to be hard to find a more rich non-animal

food source of B-12 than in yeast, (thank goodness for supplements!). But

really, that’s it. It’s a source of a single family of vitamins.

 

Now, just do an experiment with me. What if I told you that I had a plant

that was rich in the blood-cleansing nutrient, chlorophyll? Not only that, when

you harvest it in its early stages of growth, it’s also loaded with powerful

antioxidants, especially “anthocyanins,†(one of the things that gives

grapes their anti-cancer potential). Plus, it’s a rich source of all sorts of

vitamins and minerals, essential for human health. Would you be interested in

incorporating this into your diet somehow?

 

Even though this plant is a rich source of incredible nutrients, I was

actually describing poison ivy!

 

I think of Brewer’s yeast and medicinal mushrooms the same way I think of

poison ivy. Yes, each of these is a rich source of important nutrients, but

they come with a price. In the case of poison ivy, it comes with

“urushiol,â€

the skin irritant that causes the itchy rash. In the case of yeasts and

mushrooms, they come with “mycotoxins,†poisons that contribute to, and even

cause,

serious human disease, including cancer.

 

What’s the evidence that stops me from personally using Brewer’s yeast and

“

medicinal†mushrooms? Too much to list here, but here are some of the recent

items I have found:

 

A study in the European Journal of Biochemistry called one of the poisons

found in Brewer’s yeast, a “yeast killer toxin.â€

 

There is an infection known as “Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Fungemia,†which

is a fungal infection that comes from eating Brewer’s yeast. It's more common

that you’d think - a quick Google search for this term shows more than a

thousand entries!

 

The Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health had an article that

described the liver cancer-causing effect of a mycotoxin in “commonly

eatenâ€

edible mushrooms.

 

In an Italian study, the researchers identify the mycotoxin, agaritine, as

being “a well known carcinogenic [cancer-causing] and toxic substance.â€

Where

is this mycotoxin found? In certain “medicinal†mushrooms!

 

I agree with one author who said, “All mushrooms are poisonous by nature.

The edible kinds just have smaller amounts of toxic poisons. Kill yourself

instantly, or slowly, over a period of time.â€

 

There’s one other thing that I think is peculiar about this new resurgence

in yeast and mushroom products. When I read the studies that some of these

products are based upon, there is a paragraph that is almost universally

present. It’s a paragraph that says something like, “Even though the yeast

has been

inactivated, there is evidence that fungal infections may occur in certain

people who consume this product. Therefore, those who are immunocompromised

should avoid taking this product.â€

 

This paragraph is so fascinating! It’s saying that you may get a fungal

infection when you take these kinds of products. It’s also saying that if you

have a compromised immune system, (and who doesn’t nowadays?), you

shouldn’t

take these kinds of products. I wonder why? Why would you need a fully

functioning immune system in order to take a “nutritional†product?

Here’s why:

These kinds of products seem to have a little bit of nutrition, mixed in with a

little bit of poison. Let’s face it - you never see a warning like this on a

vitamin C bottle! Why? Because vitamin C does you nothing but good. But with

certain yeast and mushroom products, your body is forced to fight off toxins

in order to get to the beneficial part. To me, a true “nutritional productâ€

shouldn’t contain poisons that your immune system has to fight off. But with

nutritional yeast and medicinal mushrooms, you seem to need enough immune

power to fight off their inherent disease-causing components, and therefore,

just

aren’t worth the marginal benefit.

 

If you’re able to isolate out the beneficial substances in the mushroom or

yeast - or even the poison ivy – and throw out the poisonous parts, great!

Beta glucans are an example of this; Beta glucans often come from mushrooms,

but

I take them every day. The beneficial part has been utilized, and the rest

is thrown out. But be careful about taking in the whole mushroom or whole

yeast product. Also, be aware that many multivitamins and “immune formulasâ€

now

list yeast as an active ingredient, but instead of saying “yeast,†they use

the technical name - Saccharomyces – perhaps to hide the fact that it’s

just

yeast. (Some people are, evidently, “wowed†by technical-sounding names.

Don

’t be.)

 

Do what I do: Read every label you’re considering. And think twice before

subjecting yourself to yeasts and mushrooms – whether they call themselves

“

medicinal†or not!

 

 

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