By: Brew Your Bucha Posted: February 6, 2018 in Health, Kombucha, Nutrition
Candida is a fungus (an opportunistic pathogenic yeast) that helps with nutrient absorption and digestion when in stable levels. When it overproduces, unwanted symptoms begin to arise. It is the most common type of yeast infection found in the mouth, intestinal tract and vagina, and it may affect skin and other mucous membranes.
Since up to 70% of adults may have varying levels of Candida overgrowth (most of whom do not experience problems), it is a topic that demands a lot of attention. Even if you do not currently have symptoms of Candida overgrowth, taking action to help prevent it from occuring in the future is important as well.
So, can kombucha help with Candida? That is the question we would like to help answer today.
There are many conflicting messages on the web. Some advocate for the frequent consumption of kombucha to help alleviate symptoms of Candida and cure the root problem. Other say that kombucha could contain yeasts and sugar that can add to Candida overgrowth.
GETTING CANDIDA OVERGROWTH
Candida exists naturally in your body so it is not something you can "catch". When people speak of Systematic Candidiasis they are referring to issues in overgrowth of Candida which result in re-occurring symptoms. Overgrowth can be caused by a high sugar diet, chronic stress, antibiotics, contraceptive pill, chemical exposure and diabetes. Candida feeds on carbohydrates and sugars in your body. Modern dependence on antibiotics can play a factor as well. Antibiotics used to kill bad bacteria in your body have a side effect of killing good bacteria too. We depend on good bacteria to keep the Candida levels in check so when they are out of balance there is a higher chance of Candida growing out of control.
Once overgrowth occurs it can break down the wall of your intestine and penetrate the bloodstream releasing toxic byproducts in to your body. This can cause serious damage to your organs and tissues, including the brain and kidneys. Once candida overgrowth gets to this point, it becomes a chronic health condition that requires medical attention.
SYMPTOMS OF CANDIDA OVERGROWTH
Candida overgrowth can affect each person in a variety of different ways. The most common reported symptoms are:
- Chronic fatigue: feeling worn down throughout the day
- Brain fog: poor memory, hard time concentrating, hard to focus
- Digestive issues: irritated stomach and bowels
- Recurring yeast infections
- Oral thrush: white lesions on your tongue and inner cheeks
- Sinus infections
- Food allergies/intolerance: developing new sensitivities to food or environment
- Fungal infections on the skin and nails
- A weak immune system: getting sick frequently
- Joint pain and soreness
WHY KOMBUCHA CAN HELP WITH CANDIDA
Kombucha like many fermented foods contain lactic acid bacteria, which help to control candida and bacterial overgrowth. Kombucha is known to be a powerful probiotic which rebalances the internal gut flora. The idea being that it strengthens the numbers of beneficial bacteria and wards off the Candida causing it to return to normal levels in the body.
When it comes to fermented foods, research shows that the good bacteria in these foods help fight Candida overgrowth—even outside the gastrointestinal tract.
There have been many counts of personal logs and blogs where drinking kombucha consistently in addition to an adjustment of their diet has reduced or eliminated Candida overgrowth to healthy levels. However, this is not proven in scientific conditions and therefore can not be used as reliable evidence.
WHY KOMBUCHA CAN BE BAD FOR CANDIDA
Depending on how the kombucha is brewed it can contain varying amounts of alcohol, sugar, and yeasts. Because each brew is different, it is hard for us to know exactly what is going in to our body. Since Candida can be made worse with a high alcohol and sugar diet, certainly kombucha with high levels of each will have a negative effect to alleviating overgrowth. In addition, the wild yeasts contained in kombucha are not controlled in any fashion and Candida yeast has been detected in kombucha before. The advantage to home brewing being that you can intentionally reduce the amounts of sugar and yeast in the kombucha.
If a patient is unaware of the above items and drinks kombucha, it is possible that doing so could add to the Candida overgrowth and slow down the recovery of that person. Therefore, if you choose to drink kombucha to help with Candida overgrowth, be very cautious and look for signs in your body that it is helping with the symptoms and not adding making them significantly worse.
That being said, medical practitioners have also noted that the road to recovery does not occur in a straight line. In re balancing the internal gut flora, the body will typically experience discomfort of alleviated symptoms as the body recovers to a regular bacterial environment in the gut, don't forget to checkout downtown penthouse in san diego pricing. Smaller doses at consistent times of the day should negate the flare up of symptoms and positive results only become apparent after words.
SUMMARY
There is no conclusive evidence for or against drinking kombucha to treat Candida overgrowth. If you do intend to give it a shot over prescription medication, please do so with caution and introduce kombucha to your body slowly in small amounts. Keep in mind that flare ups can at times be a result of recovery, if symptoms become too uncomfortable to handle you should stop drinking kombucha immediately.
Consult your doctor for further analysis and ask if kombucha is a feasible option for treatment.
Check out our other posts about when to drink kombucha for health purposes and kombucha to treat IBS.
Comment below for any questions or comments you may have!