Candida is a yeast that exists naturally in our bodies. There are over 150 species of Candida; the most common being Candida Albicans. Candida's function in the body is mainly to destroy all rotting food matter in your gut before any nasty bacteria can feed on it.
In a healthy person, Candida (controlled by the immune system and 'friendly' bacteria) is a non-invasive organism, however, when most people talk about Candida they are normally referring to a Candida Albicans overgrowth.
What causes Candida overgrowth?
A weakened immune system- allergies, excess sugar consumption, caffeine, stress and heavy metal toxicity all contribute towards a weakened immune system.
Poor diet- the modern western diet is seriously lacking in fibre and important vitamins, yet high in refined carbohydrates. Fibre is an important part of a healthy diet. It keeps everything moving through your gut nicely and produces fatty acids that hamper the growth of Candida. Vitamin C, zinc, magnesium and selenium are essential for a healthy immune system; of these, vitamin C is the most important to consume regularly as the body does not store it. B vitamins, in particular Biotin, are essential to controlling Candida overgrowth. A diet containing nuts, whole grains, high quality fish, shellfish and meat will contain all of these essential vitamins, whilst a diet high in foods such as refined carbohydrates, yeast, refined sugars, fruit sugars, vinegar and fermented foods will encourage your Candida to flourish.
Medication- so many medications affect the delicate balance of your body; medications such as antibiotics, steroids, birth control pills and hormones. Antibiotics are one of the worst culprits, because whilst they kill germs, they also kill the friendly bacteria in your gut - the same friendly bacteria that normally keeps your Candida under control.
Pregnancy- pregnancy will alter your body's hormonal balance, sugar production and pH.
Diabetes- a condition where the pancreas is not able to produce enough insulin in order to control the amount of glucose in the blood. If you have ever made bread or brewed alcohol, you'll know that for yeast to flourish it needs warmth and sugar; the same is true of the Candida yeast. Candida absolutely loves sugar and diabetics have lots of the stuff in their bloodstream - it's the perfect feeding ground for Candida.
Mould- exposure to mouldy environments can encourage Candida growth - mould spores, once inhaled, can travel throughout the body.
Why is Candida overgrowth a problem?
As the numbers of Candida increase, the Candida shifts from its yeast state to a fungal state. The fungus establishes itself in the gut and alters the digestive environment; the pH becomes more acidic meaning that the absorption of vitamins and minerals stops, the production of digestive enzymes slows, friendly bacteria struggle to survive and the fungus flourishes. The result being that as the fungus grows, your body weakens.
Once established in the gut, the Candida produces root-like structures called Rhizoids. Rhizoids penetrate the gut wall, creating microscopic holes, which allow undigested food particles, toxins, bacteria and yeast to enter the bloodstream. This stage is known as Leaky Gut Syndrome. The Candida spores can now create colonies outside the gut, in fact anywhere it can reach via the bloodstream. They first target low-oxygen areas, but can eventually settle in almost every organ in the body causing damage and bacterial infections.
If this wasn't bad enough, the Candida fungus itself releases, as waste, over 75 toxins; some of which are:
Acetaldehyde, a neurotoxin, said to damage brain structure and pathways
Ethanol which has a negative effect on the brain and interferes with your body's biochemical processes
Canditoxin which when injected into rats caused paralysis of the limbs and ultimately death
Formaldehyde which causes a number of malfunctions in your body
Conclusion
Candida is a yeast that exists naturally in a healthy person's gut. It can however, given the right circumstances, overgrow easily and once overgrown, weakens and pollutes your body.
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