According to the Oral Cancer Foundation, “yeast infections such as Candida were recognized centuries ago as an indicator of much larger underlying diseases such as diabetes mellitus, malignant tumors, and chronic infections — sort of the miners’ canary.”

Years ago when I saw clients, over half of them presented with either an overgrowth of candida or systemic candida. It was apparent in their live blood analyses. Candida doesn’t behave like other fungi – it clusters together much like little grapes. For those suffering from cancer or AIDS, their candida exposure was off the charts. I remember performing a live blood analysis on a medical doctor from Canada with AIDS. He had more candida gumming up his blood than I’d ever seen before.

What Is Candida?

Candida albicans is a type of fungus that lives in places like your mouth, your belly, and even on your skin. Normally, it is present in small amounts and poses no problems. But when the environment is right, the yeast can quickly multiply and grow out of control.

When is this most likely? If you’re under stress or if your body is compromised by antibiotics, radiation treatments, AIDS/HIV, or even corticosteroid treatment, you are a prime candidate to have an outbreak of Candida (source: The Oral Cancer Foundation).

Candida’s Primary Food Source: Sugar

Candida yeast feeds on sugar and gives off alcohol as its byproduct. That’s why people may feel foggy and forgetful when levels are high in the body. And strangely enough, there are documented cases of people so full of candida that they register a blood alcohol level despite not having been drinking! (source: The Trouble with Alcohol Testing)

Could you be a prime consumer of too much sugar? The last statistic I saw said the average American eats more than 150 pounds of sugar per year… and this alone is causing a whole host of health problems. In my mind, candida yeast overgrowth is one of the most common and most serious underlying health issues we face and it only makes sense to learn more about how it may be undermining our health.

Candida’s Purpose

For all the bad things we’ve noted about excessive candida, this fungi does serve a purpose in the human body. If you have poor digestion and low stomach acid, the food you eat sits and rots rather than being broken down properly by digestive enzymes, bile, and stomach acid.

What then? Candida yeast to the rescue! Yeast turns rotting into fermentation, much like we make wine from grapes or beer from hops (this is where the bloating comes from). Once the undigested food becomes fermented, nutrients become more available for the body to use.

And while the whole process takes longer than the normal digestive process and isn’t ideal, it’s better than the toxic byproducts from food that decay and rot inside you.

Despite candida’s good qualities, this fermentation process can be a breeding ground for a host of diseases – including cancer.

Symptoms of Candida Overgrowth

• Bloating. Just like baker’s yeast makes bread rise, candida yeast can cause belly bloat — typically the first sign you notice when you have an overgrowth.
• Sugar cravings and weight gain. Excessive candida overgrowth can cause weight gain and intense sugar cravings which make it hard to stick to your diet.
• Brain fog. Candida produces acetaldehyde, a toxic metabolite that can affect mental focus by decreasing the amount of oxygen that gets to your brain via the red blood cells your body naturally makes. Candida may be the cause of annoying brain fog and that “spacey” feeling.
• Yeast infections. If you’re one of the 75% of women that suffer from vaginal yeast infections, then you’ll want to look into candida overgrowth as a likely culprit.
• Thrush. Candidiasis in the mouth and throat is commonly called thrush and it is often found in newborns and the elderly. A high-sugar diet or a course of antibiotics are often the cause.
• Joint pain. We don’t often think of candida as a cause of joint pain, but we should, as it is known to produce high levels of uric acid. And as gout sufferers know, uric acid build-up is quite painful.
• Compromised immune system. If you have cancer, you already have a weakened immune system. Candida overgrowth can be both a cause and a result of this condition and should be addressed ASAP.

Two Solutions to Clear Out Candida

• Quit feeding it. Because candida’s primary food source is sugar, it only makes sense to stop feeding it. That means no sugar, honey, maple syrup, processed foods or sugary drinks of any kind. No fruit or alcohol. A low-carb diet is best for combatting candida.
• Increase probiotics. Never forget that your immune system is largely a result of good gut health. One of the best ways to enhance your gut health and overpower excessive candida is to increase your probiotics, or good bacteria. You can take time-released high quality probiotic capsules or you can eat probiotic-rich foods such as kimchi (a side dish made from salted and fermented vegetables), kefir, yogurt, miso, natto (a traditional Japanese dish consisting of fermented soybeans), and tempeh.Sauerkraut, one of the oldest traditional foods, is another fabulous source of probiotics. When choosing sauerkraut, be sure it is organic and unpasteurized as the pasteurization process destroys the healthy bacteria sauerkraut contains, eliminating its probiotic effects. It only takes two ounces of properly prepared sauerkraut to equal the probiotic advantages of an entire bottle of probiotic capsules.

Learn more about the fungus-cancer connection in my interview with Doug Kaufmann, host of the popular television show, “Know the Cause.” Kaufmann is an expert on the fungal connection to many infections and ailments — including heart disease, autoimmune illness, and cancer. In this video interview, we discuss this topic: ‘Does Fungus Cause Cancer, Or Is Cancer A Fungus?’ as well as practical steps for for preventing and treating disease.

Resources:

Chung LM, Liang JA, Lin CL, Sun LM, Kao CH. Cancer risk in patients with candidiasis: a nationwide population-based cohort study. Oncotarget. 2017 Jun 29;8(38):63562-63573. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.18855. PMID: 28969011; PMCID: PMC5609943.

Ho J, Camilli G, Griffiths JS, Richardson JP, Kichik N, Naglik JR. Candida albicans and candidalysin in inflammatory disorders and cancer. Immunology. 2021 Jan;162(1):11-16. doi: 10.1111/imm.13255. Epub 2020 Sep 13. PMID: 32880925; PMCID: PMC7730014.

Ramirez-Garcia A, Rementeria A, Aguirre-Urizar JM, Moragues MD, Antoran A, Pellon A, Abad-Diaz-de-Cerio A, Hernando FL. Candida albicans and cancer: Can this yeast induce cancer development or progression? Crit Rev Microbiol. 2016;42(2):181-93. doi: 10.3109/1040841X.2014.913004. Epub 2014 Jun 25. PMID: 24963692.

“10 Candida Symptoms & How to Treat Them,” BalanceOne (November 19, 2020). https://balanceone.com/blogs/news/candida-symptoms-how-to-treat-them

“11 Probiotic Foods That Are Super Healthy,” Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-super-healthy-probiotic-foods#TOC_TITLE_HDR_8