Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-05-29
New Vitumin Prevents
Necrosis Of the Liver
'Foetor 3 Is Contained Only
In Americon-Mude Yeusts
By Thomas R. Henry


In Americon-Mude Yeusts
By Thomas R. Henry
A new vitamin which prevents and
cures necrosis of the liver. hitherto
fatal disease Of children fed on .
vitamin- deficient diet, has been found
by National Institutes Of Health sci-
enlist.
This vitamin, now known only as
Factor g." is contained only in Ameri-
can-manufactured yeasts.
For some unknown reason 1t does
not exist in European yeasts produced
apparently by exactly the same proc
eSSeS.
It is not identical according to its
discoverer. DR.. Klaus Schwarz, with
any known vitamin or amino acid,
Quite aside from the specific liver
condition, the new factor may be Of
considerable Importance in production
of proteins for human diet by growing
yeast cultures on sugar and molasses.
This now is projected on large scale
in the West Indies where a species Of
yeast known as tortula will BE- used.
Tortula contains none of Factor 8"
and will, to this extent, be deficient
as human food. Complete protection
against the liver malady can be
achieved, however. by the addition to
the culture Of as little as 5 per cent
American brewers yeast. DR.. Schwar7
says.
Vitamin Need.
The liver necrosis does not ordinarily
appear unless there also Is a deficiency
of Vitamin E, the "sterility vitamin" of
a decade ago, which now appears as
one of the most essential elements Of
nutrition. Factor 3, however, gives COM
plete protection against the disease
when E is entirely absent.
DR.. Schwarzs work started before
the war and continued through the
war years at the Kaiser Wilhelm Insti-
tute for Medical Research at the Uni
versity of Heidelberg. In 1949. he re-
lates, he came to the United States on
a three weeks visa to attend medical
conference. His reports on the Heidel-
berg researches were so startling that
he has been induced to remain with
the Public Health Service on the same
job ever since.
DR.. Schwarzs work both in Germany
and the United States has been carried
out with rats and mice. but the results
probably hold good for humans since
they are subject to essentially the same
liver condition. His experiments have
involved producing the condition in
nearly $4,000 animals.
Factor g." he says, now has been OBJ
foi in form hnUAVoT
not been precisely identified and there
Success in this field has led to
search for some other as yet unknown
factor which may have a leading part
in causing cirrhosis of the liver. This
frequently is attributed to alcohol.
Only between 80 and 40 per cent of the
victims, however, have any history OF
alcoholism. The rest of the incidence is
unexplained. No progress has been
made, however, towards finding q Vita
min deficiency which may be respon-
sible.
New Vitamins Seen.
There is no reason to believe, National
Institutes Of Health researchers say,
that the list Of essential vitamins is
near eAIlduSClOu. 0SVcTdl IlcW OLlcS llOW
are on the horizon.
Vitamins B-14 and IS have been de-
scribed. Both are believed to activate
the bone marrow to produce new blood
cells. They are obtained. like the rest
Of the B complex. chiefly from food
products Of animal origin.
Still another member of the B FAM
lily, pergamic acid has been postulated
for rheumatic disease treatment. It
can be produced synthetically.
Coconut milk, according to some
authorities. contains three growth fac
tors which may turn out to be vita
Minis. They are apparently necessary
for the growth Of some plant tissues.
but no demonstrate need for them in
human diet has been found.
One Of the most interesting on the
immediate horizon is the so-called
"bifidus," or "split-tail factor. It
takes its name from one of the bac-
terra, lactobacillus bif1dus. which is
found in the intestines Of infants fed
on mothers milk but not In those Of
babies fed on cows milk.
The vitamin may be q carrier OF
antibodies for disease resistance from
mother to child. This may explain the
old belief that breast-fed babies are
healthiest.