86 BACTERIA, YEASTS, AND MOLDS 



stipation, controls certain stomach disorders, and improves 

 the general tone of the body. To what extent these claims 

 are based on fact and how far they are merely advertising 

 propaganda cannot now be told for certain. It can, how- 

 ever, be safely stated that yeast is now being used to some 

 extent as a food and is being widely advertised for the pur- 

 pose. Commercial preparations containing yeast, so fla- 

 vored as to be palatable, are now available, and may well in 

 many cases be a desirable addition to the diet. Extracts of 

 yeasts, under various trade names, have for some time 

 been placed on the market in Europe, although not well 

 known in this country. It is, however, doubtful whether 

 they have the nutrient value of the yeast itself, any more 

 than beef extract is as good a food as the beef. 



