Study Backs Selenium-Enriched Baker’s Yeast

A new study from Penn State College of Medicine (Hershey, PA) has concluded that selenium-enriched yeast may be preferred to regular yeast when it comes to the expression of proteins related to the study of prostate cancer.

Published in the Journal of Proteomics, the study focused on comparing regular yeast to a selenium-enriched yeast called SelenoExcell, produced by Cypress Systems Inc. (Fresno, CA). In tracking the expression of five proteins commonly used as biomarkers for predicting cancer development, the researchers concluded that the selenium-enriched yeast provided a more favorable management of these proteins. “Favorable proteins” appeared to be upregulated while unfavorable ones were downregualted by the selenium-enriched yeast.

The proteins that were tracked included pyruvate kinase, HSP70, elongation factor 2, eukaryotic translation initiation factory 5A-2, and triosephosphate isomerase.

“We suspect that the advantage of SelenoExcell high-selenium yeast is because of its content of multiple forms of selenium, including some that are more direct acting in anti-carcinogenesis,” said Cypress Systems COO and chief scientific officer Mark Whitacre. “This newly published study from Penn State researchers supports this hypothesis.”

Cypress says its GRAS-affirmed SelenoExcell is supported by a clinical trial agreement with the Cancer Preventin Division of the National Cancer Institute.

The company provided both forms of yeast for the study.