What Are The Best Probiotics for Candida?

Published June 11th, 2020

People with candidiasis can attest to the inconvenience caused by this fungal infection. Aside from your genital area, it can also appear in your mouth, throat, and tongue. To top it off, it can enter deep into your body and cause various illnesses.

Candidiasis is caused by Candida Albicans, a type of yeast that normally resides in our gut. In normal circumstances, our immune system can keep it in check so it doesn’t cause any problem. You’ll hardly even notice that it’s there.

But stress, illness, and medications throw your body’s bacterial population out of balance. This is when Candida Albicans grows out of control. Unfortunately, some species of candida are resistant to drugs and antifungal treatments.

Recent research, however, is turning to probiotics as a potential treatment for candidiasis.

How Probiotics Help with Candidiasis

Before anything else, you need to know that candidiasis often has similar symptoms with other types of infections. The itching, soreness, and discharge are also characteristics of bacterial vaginosis and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). So it’s important to talk with your doctor first before looking into probiotic treatments.

We’ve already established that Candida Albicans are microorganisms that naturally live within you. They form part of your microbiota – the body’s microbial population. Aside from the harmful microorganisms like candida, beneficial ones also reside in your body. These “good bacteria” are what we also call probiotics.

The good bacteria is essential is several bodily functions. In particular, it keeps the bad bacteria in check. When there are less good bacteria, the bad ones will dominate. This includes Candida Albicans which, when left unchecked, can cause yeast infections and thrush.

This is where probiotics can help people with candidiasis. It replenishes the good bacteria population in your body thus restoring balance to your microbiota. With enough good bacteria, harmful ones like Candida albicans will not proliferate.

Best Probiotic Strains for Candida

One way to ensure the effectiveness of probiotics is to take the right strain. You see, there are hundreds (if not thousands) of probiotic strains out there. Each of them has a different function.

So what is the right probiotic strain to get rid of candidiasis?

In general, all types of probiotic strains offer some sort of protection against candida. But studies made on the following strains showed that they are more effective against candidiasis.

1. Saccharomyces boulardii

Just like C. Albicans, S. boulardii is a type of yeast. It’s known to prevent and treat various intestinal infections caused by bacterial infections.

A study conducted in Poland demonstrated the inhibitory effect of S. boulardii on C. Albicans culture. Researchers found out that this probiotic strain reduces the adhesion capability of candida. It does this by creating a biofilm that coats the surface thereby preventing adhesion of C. Albicans.