Yeast Organisms & Their Reaction to Glucose

Candida Overgrowth

• Candida Albicans is a microbial yeast found in the gastrointestinal tracts of most people. In a healthy person it can exist quite happily as part of the gut flora and should cause no symptoms at all. However, any upset in the balance of gut flora can allow Candida yeasts to proliferate. Imbalance may be caused by a course of antibiotics, which kill the beneficial bacteria that naturally moderate candida growth. A diet rich in sugars may also upset the digestive flora and result in an overproliferation of candida yeasts.
  
  

Glucose as Energy

• Glucose is produced naturally in the body, and is necessary to provide energy for body warmth and movement. Glucose is produced by the liver using the raw materials of digested food. If we eat too much sugar the body will contain far more glucose than it needs. Candida yeasts feed on glucose, and if too much glucose is present in the body candida yeasts are given the ideal environment to overproliferate and cause a systemic infection.
  
  

Sugar and Yeast

• In her book "Candida Yeast," author Angela Kilmartin explains in detail the complex relationship between sugar and yeast. In the same way as happens when making bread or beer, yeast converts sugar to alcohol. Excess sugar in the host body will be used by the fungal Candida spores as a direct source of energy; in other words, Candida yeast feeds on the excess sugar and produces alcohol, again within the body.
  
  

Alcoholic Burden

• Where excess sugar is not an issue, the alcohol produced by Candida-glucose interactions may well have an antiseptic effect within the body and act as a further guard against bacterial imbalance. Only when the digestive system is imbalanced and subjected to excesses of refined sugars and convenience foods does the alcohol become problematic. Alcohol is sent to the liver and kidneys to be processed, and places a burden on those organs. This means that quality nutrients are not properly processed and absorbed. The alcoholic burden also produces feelings of lethargy.
  
  

Controlling Candida

• Natural-health practitioners advise candida sufferers to strictly limit their intake of sugars. In fact, many people report even the natural sugars in fruit to be an aggravating factor when candida yeasts are overly present in the body. Once candida has become a problem it can be difficult to control; sometimes doctors will prescribe antifungal drugs such as Nystatin to eradicate it.