540:. In the late 1930s and 1940s, it was popular to drink live yeast cocktails. Many yeast companies marketed the mixtures as a good source of nutrients and proteins. However, after talking with her colleagues, Parsons began to question validity of the cocktails. She began her own experiments into the matter after receiving funding from a yeast company in Milwaukee to try and prove the nutritional benefits of live yeast. She began feeding live yeast to human subjects on a diet rich in thiamine and found that live yeast cocktails sharply decreased the amount of urinary thiamine in subjects. In contrast, dead, boiled yeast had no effect on thiamine levels. Parsons' also found that live yeast recovered from subjects' feces had large amounts of stored thiamine, indicating that thiamine depletion was caused by a withholding process by the viable yeast and not from destruction within the digestive system. Thiamine stores were quickly regained by stopping the consumption of live yeast.
519:"It was you, my dear Doctor Parsons, who gave me the best stimulus to unravel the difficult problem of egg-white toxicity and biotin deficiency. Your excellent and classical experiments on the identification of bound biotin in the feces of rats fed raw egg-white opened the way to solve the puzzle of egg-white toxicity. I am still grateful to you for giving us the light to see the things in proper perspective."
576:), which was the first scientific society dedicated solely to the discipline of nutrition and in 1959, was one of three women to be named a fellow of the society. Parsons never married and had no children. She was an avid gardener and during her retirement, became a member of many community gardening clubs. Parsons died on December 30, 1977, at her home in
507:
the debilitating effects of egg-white consumption. They went on to partially purify the factor and showed that the amount needed to cure symptoms was proportional to the amount of egg-white fed. Although ultimately unable to chemically identify the protective factor, Parsons' early work on the subject was crucial to the later identification of
353:. Parsons credits McCollum with teaching her how to do research, describing him as “a very sympathetic teacher” and “very patient with not knowing anything at all”. Parsons began pursuing her master's degree under McCollum and received one in 1916 at age 20. Published in 1918, her thesis helped show that the dietary properties of the
490:
that rats fed only raw egg-white as their protein diet developed unfavorable physiological effects such as severe dermatitis and neurological dysfunction. If kept on the diet, the rats invariably died after a short period of time. Parsons hypothesized that there was an 'anti-vitamin' in the egg-white
506:
Parsons and her group then went on to look for foods that could counteract the symptoms of egg-white injury. They found that foods like cooked kidney, cooked liver, yeast, egg yolk, or dried milk contained a 'protective factor' (later found to be biotin) that cured the rats dermatitis and prevented
388:
had not yet been isolated or chemically identified. However, Parsons had noticed that humans and other primates required an anti-scurvy, or anti-scorbutic, supplement to their diet while rats did not. By putting rats on an anti-scorbutic diet and then feeding their livers to guinea pigs suffering
543:
Although the yeast company she was working for was not happy with the results, they allowed
Parsons to publish her findings. Some of her colleagues were not as fortunate - in her oral history Parsons recalls some of their research being suppressed by the larger yeast companies and their papers
404:
During this time and until after the late 1920s, the department of Home
Economics was not allowed to have Ph.D. candidates. According to Parsons, the Home Economics department was seen as more of a trade school, one where "people did cooking and sewing", and the administration did not want the
465:
Parsons returned to the
University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1928 as an associate professor with an annual salary of $ 3600 and research funding from the university for her own laboratory. There, she was able to expand work done during her doctoral period and perform experiments critical to the
548:(FDA) authorities who were responsible for the regulation in the sale of nutritional supplements. Her research sparked a fierce debate over nutrition and yeast, culminating in a threatened lawsuit by the FDA against the yeast companies and the banning of advertisements for yeast cocktails.
523:
At the time, Parsons' egg-white results were controversial within the egg and poultry industry. She recalls being "insulted at the time any of reports" were given at meetings and her results were often called into question by those involved with the industries.
499:) in the rats digestive tract, giving rise to these adverse symptoms. A series of further experiments in 1933 proved that the anti-vitamin responsible for egg white injury was a protein that could be destroyed during peptic digestion or through exposure to
49:
304:
in 1911. While in college, Parsons was introduced to chemistry and physiology through home economics classes. She described the "enriching of home economics with science" as "a very potent thing" and switched from wanting to become a
1082:
Parsons, Helen T.; Williamson, Anne; Johnson, Mary L. (1945-06-01). "The
Availability of Vitamins from Yeasts I. The Absorption of Thiamine by Human Subjects from Various Types of Bakers' Yeast".
561:
1147:
1182:
569:
1197:
784:"The Antiscorbutic Content of Certain Body Tissues of the Rat the Persistence of the Antiscorbutic Substance in the Liver of the Rat After Long Intervals on a Scorbutic Diet"
377:
369:
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at age sixteen to teach at a country school. After several years of teaching, Parsons left the school to attend summer session at a teachers’ college in
397:, that was synthesized in the rats’ livers. After three years at Johns Hopkins, Parsons was offered a faculty position as an assistant professor at the
976:"The interrelationship between dietary egg white and the requirement for a protective factor in the cure of the nutritive disorder due to egg white"
544:
cancelled for publication. During her work with yeast, Parsons had extensive communication with the companies involved in selling yeast, as well as
422:
441:
and continue her research on what she termed “egg white injury” in her own lab. Her work on this topic later proved crucial in helping to identify
1207:
1187:
229:(AIN) in 1959, one of only three women to be so honored. Parsons is well known for her early work on eggs, which was critical to the discovery of
393:, Parsons found that the diet cured guinea pigs of their scurvy, suggesting that there was an anti-scorbutic substance, which we now know as
666:
The challenge of constantly changing times : from Home
Economics to Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1903-2003
1167:
1227:
673:
565:
1217:
301:
108:
1031:
Ness, Helen T.; Price, Echo L.; Parsons, Helen T. (1946-02-15). "Thiamine
Depletion of Human Subjects on a Diet Rich in Thiamine".
920:
421:
Physiological
Chemistry Laboratory. In Parsons’ second year there, she was awarded the Mary Pemberton Nourse Fellowship from the
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438:
398:
338:
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222:
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113:
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1222:
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273:. Both her mother's and father's family believed in education and encouraged scholarly thinking for her and her sister.
405:
university "smirched with a trade school reproach". Accordingly, Parsons was forced to pursue her Ph.D. elsewhere.
921:"The Character Of The Dermatitis-Producing Factor In Dietary Egg White As Shown By Certain Chemical Treatments"
372:, where Parsons chose to follow. Working in McCollum's lab, Parsons had access to the nation's first colony of
556:
Parsons retired from the
University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1956 at the age of 70. She remained active in the
380:, Parsons worked with McCollum on many topics pertaining to vitamins, and published her own early study on
30:
This article is about the
American biochemist. For the American occultist and widow of Jack Parsons, see
1141:
872:"Two Women Who Contributed to Early Vitamin and Mineral Research: Mary Swartz Rose and Helen T. Parsons"
289:
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668:. Coleman, Joyce Eleanor. Madison, Wis.: Parallel Press, University of Wisconsin--Madison Libraries.
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572:. She was 1 of 112 charter members of the American Institute of Nutrition (now known as the
414:
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was crucial in helping to stop the sale of raw yeast cocktails as a nutritional supplement.
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in their Home
Economics department. After her retirement, she was named a fellow of the
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function in rats. She found that when fed powdered or raw egg white, rats developed
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and neurological dysfunction. She would take these results back with her to the
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at the University of Wisconsin-Madision, where she was a graduate student under
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495:) that was abstracting and binding a key nutrient (later discovered to be
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329:, at a dinner party in 1913. Marlatt offered her an assistant job at the
325:, Parsons met Abby Marlatt, head of the Home Economics department at the
322:
280:, where her aunt was the principal. She moved with her aunt and uncle to
238:
826:
Parsons, Helen T.; Kelly, With the cooperation of Eunice (1931-01-01).
281:
266:
262:
991:
974:
Parsons, Helen Tracy; Lease, Jane Germer; Kelly, Eunice (1937-03-01).
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Around 1927, Parsons went to obtain her Ph.D. under the direction of
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296:. It was here that she was first introduced to the budding field of
276:
At five years old Parsons began attending the second ward school in
425:. Her thesis involved studying the effect of high protein diets on
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242:
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where Parsons was intended to be the “bridge between science and
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418:
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and she returned to the department of Home Economics in 1920.
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McCollum, E. V.; Simmonds, N.; Parsons, H. T. (1918-10-01).
453:
in 1928 at the age of 42, after which she returned to the
341:
in 1913 where she began taking biochemistry classes with
221:. Parsons spent most of her own scientific career at the
828:"The Physiological Effects of Diets Rich in Egg White"
610:
Pringle, Dorothy J.; Swan, Patricia B. (2001-01-01).
205:
and nutritionist chiefly known for her early work in
201:(March 26, 1886 – December 30, 1977) was an American
515:
in 1940. In a 1959 letter to Parsons, Gyorgy wrote:
449:. Parsons’ graduated with her doctoral degree from
253:Helen Tracy Parsons was born on March 26, 1886, in
182:
170:
160:
142:
125:
104:
94:
76:
55:
39:
1146:: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of September 2024 (
370:Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health
417:, a biochemical nutritionist working out of the
919:Parsons, Helen T.; Kelly, Eunice (1980-11-01).
718:"Oral History Interview: Helen Parsons (0080)"
716:Lowe, Stephen; Parsons, Helen (7 March 1972).
265:and her mother was born at a mission house to
345:, who at the time was doing original work on
8:
47:
36:
1007:
887:
843:
799:
758:
627:
423:American Association of University Women
1183:University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty
589:
562:American Society of Biological Chemists
486:Parsons had noticed during her time at
1213:20th-century American women scientists
1198:University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni
1139:
743:"The Dietary Properties of the Potato"
532:Parsons' later career revolved around
482:Studies in egg white injury and biotin
1119:"The American Institute of Nutrition"
376:for use in nutrition experiments. At
317:Graduate education and early research
7:
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368:department at the newly established
364:In 1917, McCollum moved to head the
321:After another brief teaching job in
570:American Home Economics Association
209:. Parsons developed an interest in
937:10.1111/j.1753-4887.1980.tb05948.x
309:teacher to wanting to pursue both
261:who came from a pioneer family in
25:
1203:People from Arkansas City, Kansas
384:metabolism in rats. At the time,
302:Kansas State Agricultural College
109:Kansas State Agricultural College
782:Parsons, Helen T. (1920-11-01).
832:Journal of Biological Chemistry
788:Journal of Biological Chemistry
747:Journal of Biological Chemistry
558:American Institute of Nutrition
461:University of Wisconsin-Madison
455:University of Wisconsin-Madison
439:University of Wisconsin-Madison
399:University of Wisconsin-Madison
339:University of Wisconsin-Madison
337:”. Parsons matriculated in the
331:University of Wisconsin-Madison
327:University of Wisconsin-Madison
227:American Institute of Nutrition
223:University of Wisconsin-Madison
165:University of Wisconsin-Madison
114:University of Wisconsin-Madison
1208:20th-century American chemists
1188:Kansas State University alumni
612:"Helen T. Parsons (1886–1977)"
574:American Society for Nutrition
566:American Dietetics Association
1:
870:Hunt, Janet R. (2003-11-01).
845:10.1016/S0021-9258(18)76686-6
801:10.1016/S0021-9258(18)86259-7
760:10.1016/S0021-9258(18)86431-6
284:, where she attended a co-ed
1053:10.1126/science.103.2668.198
546:Food and Drug Administration
183:Other academic advisors
528:Thiamine depletion by yeast
457:as an associate professor.
237:in 1940. Her later work on
1244:
1168:American women biochemists
1134:10.1093/jn/123.suppl_11.NP
357:closely resemble those of
29:
1228:Graduate Women in Science
1117:Allison, Richard (1993).
300:and decided to enroll at
192:
135:
46:
1218:American women academics
1126:The Journal of Nutrition
1084:The Journal of Nutrition
876:The Journal of Nutrition
616:The Journal of Nutrition
491:(later discovered to be
249:Early life and education
664:Apple, Rima D. (2003).
1193:Yale University alumni
1136:(inactive 2024-09-19).
889:10.1093/jn/133.11.3686
521:
288:. Parsons returned to
517:
255:Arkansas City, Kansas
70:Arkansas City, Kansas
478:depletion by yeast.
286:military high school
269:Native Americans in
1223:Vitamin researchers
1096:10.1093/jn/29.6.373
1045:1946Sci...103..198N
980:Biochemical Journal
722:minds.wisconsin.edu
257:. Her father was a
199:Helen Tracy Parsons
32:Helen Parsons Smith
27:American biochemist
629:10.1093/jn/131.1.6
580:at the age of 91.
578:Madison, Wisconsin
536:depletion by live
241:depletion by live
88:Madison, Wisconsin
1039:(2668): 198–199.
992:10.1042/bj0310424
925:Nutrition Reviews
882:(11): 3686–3689.
501:hydrochloric acid
294:Pittsburg, Kansas
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137:Scientific career
80:December 30, 1977
16:(Redirected from
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415:Lafayette Mendel
409:Doctoral studies
177:Lafayette Mendel
172:Doctoral advisor
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41:Helen T. Parsons
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725:. Retrieved
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485:
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427:reproduction
412:
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366:biochemistry
363:
320:
275:
252:
211:biochemistry
198:
197:
161:Institutions
147:Biochemistry
136:
82:(1977-12-30)
1178:1977 deaths
1173:1886 births
552:Later years
513:Paul Gyorgy
271:New England
95:Nationality
1162:Categories
727:2017-10-23
622:(1): 6–9.
584:References
568:, and the
474:, as well
435:dermatitis
374:white rats
347:vitamins A
203:biochemist
130:B vitamins
62:1886-03-26
1104:0022-3166
1061:0036-8075
1000:0264-6021
945:0029-6643
898:0022-3166
854:0021-9258
810:0021-9258
769:0021-9258
638:0022-3166
395:vitamin C
386:vitamin C
382:vitamin C
259:physician
215:nutrition
207:vitamin B
151:Nutrition
1069:17794504
1018:16746354
961:86107167
906:14608095
684:53449168
646:11208931
534:thiamine
476:thiamine
323:Oklahoma
239:thiamine
99:American
1041:Bibcode
1033:Science
1009:1266952
953:7005763
282:Alabama
267:Mohegan
263:Indiana
121:(Ph.D.)
1102:
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998:
959:
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943:
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852:
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644:
636:
564:, the
560:, the
509:biotin
497:biotin
493:avidin
472:avidin
468:biotin
447:avidin
443:biotin
431:kidney
391:scurvy
355:potato
235:avidin
231:biotin
143:Fields
116:(M.S.)
111:(B.A.)
1122:(PDF)
957:S2CID
538:yeast
389:from
307:Latin
243:yeast
1148:link
1100:ISSN
1065:PMID
1057:ISSN
1014:PMID
996:ISSN
949:PMID
941:ISSN
902:PMID
894:ISSN
850:ISSN
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