# Would eating a jar of live bakers yeast be dangerous in any way? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 19, 2006, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-eating-a-jar-of-live-bakers-yeast-be-dangerous-in-any-way/345222 "2006-02-19T17:35:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-eating-a-jar-of-live-bakers-yeast-be-dangerous-in-any-way/345222/1 "2006-02-19T17:35:45Z")
[Like this](http://www.breadworldcanada.com/salesmaterials/highres/ty_jar.jpg) Any potential negative side effects? Will the yeast ferment inside me? ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-eating-a-jar-of-live-bakers-yeast-be-dangerous-in-any-way/345222/2 "2006-02-19T17:50:13Z")
I would guess the heat from your body and the acid in your stomach would destroy the yeast. Just out of curiousity, why do you ask? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-eating-a-jar-of-live-bakers-yeast-be-dangerous-in-any-way/345222/3 "2006-02-19T18:05:58Z")
Welcome to the wonderful world of farts. Vile smelling ones, too. My experience with homebrew, which has live yeast in it, is that some of the little beasties make it through into your intestines, where they dine on the materials your native flora missed. This produces copious quantities of gas. A full jar of yeast would…\. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-eating-a-jar-of-live-bakers-yeast-be-dangerous-in-any-way/345222/4 "2006-02-19T18:07:23Z")
Bodybuilding and healthy living types use [brewers yeast](http://www.swansonvitamins.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay;jsessionid=0000P8Yqgiy9XuAWG8GYRC4sW8i:-1?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10051&SourceCode=INTL070&productId=12880&R=21195&Ntx=mode%2Bmatchallpartial&keyword=Brewers+Yeast&Ntt=Brewers+Yeast&N=4294967185&Ntk=Level1) supplement tablets as a high power B vitamin source. I’ve had a (used once and closed) jar in the fridge for about year now. I imagine it’s baking effectiveness is severely diminished or gone at this point, and rather than let it go to waste I wondered if it had potential as a health supplement. ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-eating-a-jar-of-live-bakers-yeast-be-dangerous-in-any-way/345222/5 "2006-02-19T18:08:20Z")
I have read that consuming large amounts of yeast can contribute to gout, as they contain quite a bit of uric acid. I am not a doctor though. You should probably consult one before attempting such a stunt. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-eating-a-jar-of-live-bakers-yeast-be-dangerous-in-any-way/345222/6 "2006-02-19T19:52:27Z")
> [@](#): > > I would guess the heat from your body and the acid in your stomach would destroy the yeast. As pointed out above brewers yeast makes it through. The bodybuilder’s yeast is in active (= not alive) and can’t do this. I’m not sure about bakers yeast, but don’t you cook them and they somehow survive? ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2006, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-eating-a-jar-of-live-bakers-yeast-be-dangerous-in-any-way/345222/7 "2006-02-19T20:05:04Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > I’m not sure about bakers yeast, but don’t you cook them and they somehow survive? The yeast makes the bread rise. After it gets to its desired size, you bake it. I don’t think it matters then what happens to the yeast.