Health Benefits of Brewer's Yeast

Brewer's yeast has a bitter taste and is actually made from a single-celled fungus, called Saccharomyces cerevisiae. As mentioned earlier, brewer's yeast is used for beer brewing, it ferments sugar into alcohol. However, these days, after the discovery of its health benefits, it is widely used as a nutritional supplement. Brewer's yeast contains vitamins, minerals, amino acids, RNA and proteins; while it has less amount of fats, sodium and carbohydrates. Chromium, selenium, vitamin B are some of the important components of Brewer's yeast. It comes in the dried form and has all the required 16 amino acids and 14 important minerals. Thus, it is made up of all the essential nutrients and has a long list of benefits. Symptoms of a number of diseases can be reduced with the consumption of Brewer's yeast.

Brewer's Yeast Health Benefits

For Diabetic Patients
The chromium present in Brewer's yeast is said to reduce the symptoms of diabetes. It is an organic compound, also referred to as Glucose Tolerance Factor. Use of chromium in diabetes has following beneficial changes:

• It helps the body to maintain a proper sugar level.
• Insulin in the body is used effectively.
• It stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin.
• External requirement of insulin is reduced.

To Lower Cholesterol
According to some researches, Brewer's yeast helps reduce bad cholesterol in the body (LDL) and increase the level of good cholesterol (HDL). The raise in HDL is due to chromium present in Brewer's yeast. Researches have shown that two tablespoons of Brewer's yeast can reduce 10% of the bad cholesterol in the body.

To Counter Constipation
Constipation can be prevented by consuming Brewer's yeast. Fiber being an important component of diet, is necessary for healthy intestine and bowels. Constipation results due to low fiber content in the body and when the number of bad bacteria exceed the good bacteria. Healthy bacteria are grown in the body by the consumption of Brewer's yeast.

To Reduce Vitamin Deficiency
Brewer's yeast is a rich source of B-complex vitamins, that are together necessary for the overall health of a person. A deficiency of a single vitamin can cause health problems and Brewer's yeast provides all these B-complex vitamins. The list of important Vitamin B that Brewer's yeast contains are given below,

• Thiamin (Vitamin B1)
• Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
• Niacin (Vitamin B3)
• Pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5)
• Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6)
• Biotin (Vitamin B7)
• and Folic acid (Vitamin B9)

Other Health Benefits

• Brewer's yeast when combined with wheat germ can help prevent prostate cancer.
• RNS present in Brewer's yeast slows down aging process and also prevents diseases due to aging.
• Brewer's yeast helps regulate proper metabolism, as it helps to break down the essential nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins in efficient way.
• Glucan present in Brewer's yeast helps the process of healing the wounds quickly and reduce symptoms of eczema because it helps in multiplication of cells and building capillaries.
• Fatigue, nervousness, anemia, diarrhea and stress are some other diseases, the symptoms of which, can be reduce with the help of Brewer's yeast.

Brewer's yeast comes in liquid, powder, tablets and flakes form. The taste being bitter, it can be difficult sometimes to consume just the Brewer's yeast, thus, one can take it with juice, water, soup, cereals or anything. However, it is recommended that one should consult a doctor before consuming Brewer's yeast and it may cause side-effects. Brewer's yeast is to be consumed in specific doses. Small children should not consume Brewer's yeast, as it is not yet recommended for pediatric use. Adults can take a 1-2 tablespoon dose on daily basis.