Moyad Mark A
University of Michigan Medical Center, Department of Urology, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Urol Nurs. 2008 Feb;28(1):73-5.
Yeast is the term generally applied to a unicellular fungus, and there are hundreds of species now identified. One of the most notable and well-known species of yeast in health and wellness is known as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is also known by its more common names, brewer's yeast or baker's yeast. Typically, brewer's yeast is used as a protein supplement, energy booster, immune enhancer, or other vehicle where other compounds can be inserted to create a commercialized health product. For example, one of the most notable positive findings was the encouraging results from a large randomized trial of adults recently vaccinated for seasonal influenza who also received an over-the-counter daily adjuvant modified brewer's yeast-based product (EpiCor) to prevent colds and flu symptoms. The modified yeast-based product significantly reduced the incidence and duration of this common condition. Yeast-based technology is also being used as a molecular mechanistic model of caloric restriction (CR) with the goal of improving the human life span. The current and potential impact of yeast-based technology in medicine is encouraging and should receive more attention, but the recent preliminary positive results of CR in humans may be in part due to what has been already learned from brewer's yeast.
酵母通常指单细胞真菌，目前已鉴定出数百种。在健康领域最著名的酵母品种之一是酿酒酵母，它也有更常见的名称，即啤酒酵母或面包酵母。通常，啤酒酵母用作蛋白质补充剂、能量增强剂、免疫增强剂，或作为其他化合物的载体以制成商业化健康产品。例如，最显著的积极发现之一是近期接种季节性流感疫苗的成年人进行的一项大型随机试验取得了令人鼓舞的结果，这些成年人还每日服用一种非处方的基于啤酒酵母改良产品（EpiCor）以预防感冒和流感症状。这种基于酵母的改良产品显著降低了这种常见疾病的发病率和持续时间。基于酵母的技术也正被用作热量限制（CR）的分子机制模型，目标是延长人类寿命。基于酵母的技术在医学上当前和潜在的影响令人鼓舞，应得到更多关注，但近期热量限制在人体中的初步积极结果可能部分归因于从啤酒酵母中学到的知识。
