Transcript Yeast on Atkins - The Beacon School

Yeast on Atkins:
A Study of Protein Diets
on Yeast Growth
By Ana Gordon-Loebl
Introduction
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The average person in the U.S. gets 50%
of calories from carbs
On the Atkins diet, only 10% of calories
come from carbs
The body’s response to low carb intake is
called ketosis.
People in ketosis burn stored fat for energy.
This takes more energy than burning carbs,
so more protein is needed to burn the same
# of calories
Introduction, Continued
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Digestion in yeast cells is comparable to
digestion in human cells.
Humans and yeast are very similar on a cellular
level.
Just like human cells, each yeast cells contains
a cytoplasmic membrane, cytoplasm, a
nucleus, vacuoles, and mitochondria.
During the growth phases, yeast breaks simple
sugars down to release energy and uses
nutrients from a nitrogen source (i.e. amino
acids).
Hypothesis
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The yeast grown in higher concentrations of
carbohydrates will grow more quickly than the
yeast grown with higher concentrations of
protein.
After 5 days, there will be more colonies of yeast
in the trays with carbohydrates than in t he trays
with protein.
I hypothesize that there will be a direct
relationship between the concentration of
carbohydrates in the tray and the number of
yeast colonies that will grow in the tray.
Methods
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Five trays of gelatin were prepared in muffin tins.
Each tray held a different concentration of
proteins and carbohydrates.
Yeast was spread equally over each of the trays
and was left to grow for 5 days.
After 5 days, the yeast colonies were counted
and recorded.
These steps were repeated 4 times in order to
collect 4 different sets of data.
Methods, continued
I spread the yeast (dissolved in I used muffin tins w/ aluminum
warm water) in the tray in the cupcake inserts, Baker’s yeast, and
amino acids in the form of protein
above way)
pills
Evidence
Trials 1 & 2 on Day 1
Trials 1 & 2 on Day 5
Results, Page 1
Number of Yeast
Colonies
Yeast Growth After 5 Days
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Trial 1
Trial 2
100%
Carbs
75%
Carbs
25%
Protein
50%
Carbs
50%
Protein
25%
Carbs
75%
Protein
100%
Protein
Percentages of Carbohydrates and Protein
Results, continued
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The graph shows a direct relationship between the
concentration of carbs in the tray and the number
of colonies that grew in each tray.
As the concentration of carbohydrates decreased,
so did the number of colonies
In addition, the graph shows an indirect
relationship between the concentration of protein
and the number of colonies (as the concentration
of protein increased, the number of colonies
decreased).
Both trials were contaminated with mold, so the
results may not be 100% accurate
Conclusion
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The hypothesis that there is a direct relationship
between the concentration of carbohydrates in the
tray and the number of yeast colonies in grown in
the tray was proven.
From the results of the experiment, it can be
concluded that the Atkins diet is effective in slowing
the growth of yeast colonies.
Further, one can take the results and infer that the
Atkins diet would therefore slow the growth of
humans as well.
However, more trials will have to be done before
concrete conclusions are made because the mold
may have influenced the results.
Future Studies
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In order to test the effectiveness of the Atkins
diet compared to low-fat diets, yeast could be
put on diets with varying concentrations of
carbohydrates.
In order to test the effects of the Atkins diet on
the body’s immune system, yeast can be grown
with varying degrees of the diet and then be put
under stress (i.e. soaked in detergent). The
ability of the yeast to recover from this stress
could provide insight into the healthiness of the
Atkins diet.