VEGEMITE A KEY TO NEW DRUG
Herald Sun, Tuesday, December 5 2000

A VITAMIN found in Vegemite is helping in the search for new drugs to fight hepatitis C.

Researchers have discovered vitamin B12, found in large concentrations in the human liver, may have a role in the regulation of hepatitis C.

A team from Brisbane's Royal Children's Hospital found that higher levels of B12 in the liver meant higher levels of viral load.

Researcher Dr William Lott said hepatitis C often remained dormant because the virus survived at levels too low for the immune system to detect.

"If you could artificially raise the load to a threshold where the body recognised it, then you could perhaps mount an immune response," Dr Lott said. But he advised people against gorging themselves on the spread, saying there was no evidence B12 had a protective effect against the disease.

He said once the mechanism was better understood, the research could be used to design a drug that may inhibit the disease's replication.

Regards, John

For decades Australians have been reminded that Vegemite is rich in Vitamin B12, Niacin and Iron.