There are trillions of microorganisms living in the human gut, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and so on. Different types and quantities of bacteria live in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract. The number and types of bacteria in the upper part of the stomach and small intestine are relatively small, and the number of bacteria gradually increases from the jejunum to the colon. As is well known, the gut microbiota has multiple health benefits, including resistance to pathogens, digestion of food and absorption of nutrients, metabolism, and enhanced immunity. Human health depends on the symbiotic interactions between the human host and gut microbiota. However, when there are adverse changes in the composition and function of the gut microbiota, dysbiosis can occur, which may lead to overgrowth of Candida albicans.
Is the colonization of Candida albicans in the intestine related to inflammatory diseases?
Candida albicans is a symbiotic fungus that parasitizes the human vagina and gastrointestinal tract. Candida albicans is an important cause of fungal infections worldwide, which can cause superficial, systemic, or invasive infections and have life-threatening consequences. Changes in gut microbiota, disruption of the epithelial barrier, and immune system dysfunction can all promote the transfer of Candida albicans from the intestine to important organs. Therefore, gastrointestinal status is a susceptibility factor for life-threatening Candida albicans infections.
Candida albicans interacts with its host through its cell wall. The fungal cell wall can protect it from environmental stress, including drastic changes in temperature and osmotic pressure, dehydration, and immune responses, and maintain its cellular integrity. The components of fungal cell walls are crucial for morphogenesis and pathogenicity, and may become targets for novel antifungal drugs.
The cell wall structure of Candida albicans is very complex, consisting mainly of glucan, mannan, chitin, cell wall proteins, and lipids. The interaction between the Candida cell wall and the host cell is crucial for the different processes of fungal colonization and activation in the host, leading to infection.
The overgrowth of Candida albicans in the digestive tract is influenced by various factors, especially long-term use of antibiotics and unhealthy dietary patterns. The morphological changes from single-cell yeast to filamentous hyphae are crucial for the virulence of Candida albicans. During the infection process, Candida albicans spreads to other areas of the host through phagocytic cell dependent mechanisms, with neutrophils and macrophages promoting spread, while hyphae invade and destroy host cells. The formation of hyphae within macrophages is related to the damage of phagosomes, which leads to macrophage death by inhibiting the acidification of phagosomes.
In terms of the role of T cell subsets in antifungal immunity, Candida albicans specific Th17 cells can prevent fungal overgrowth and enhance the integrity of the colonized tissue epithelial barrier. In addition, anti fungal Th17 cells can produce IL-22, IL-17A, and IL-17F, which can enhance barrier function and protect the intestine from damage. Impaired IL-17/IL-22 pathway can make individuals susceptible to cutaneous candidiasis, but if Th17/Th1 immunity is compromised, the same infection can also occur.
Another important aspect is the involvement of Candida albicans colonization in inflammatory diseases. Experimental and clinical evidence suggests a possible link between Candida albicans and Crohn’s disease, a chronic transmural inflammatory bowel disease. Crohn’s disease typically affects the distal ileum and colon, and may also affect other parts of the digestive tract. In patients with Crohn’s disease, the level of fungal cell wall polysaccharide antibodies that can recognize Candida albicans is high, also known as anti brewer’s yeast antibodies. In addition, Candida albicans is often isolated from the feces of Crohn’s disease patients.
Researchers evaluated the role of overgrowth of Candida albicans in mucosal injury in a mouse colitis model induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). In this model, Candida albicans will aggravate colitis in mice, and DSS induced colitis will also promote the overgrowth of Candida albicans. Excessive growth of Candida albicans leads to the production of anti brewing yeast antibodies, therefore circulating Candida albicans mannans can trigger the production of polysaccharide antibodies in intestinal inflammation. Like Candida albicans, Candida albicans also significantly increased in DSS induced colitis mice, which is associated with increased inflammatory response and decreased microbial diversity. Therefore, the abundance of smooth Candida can help maintain gut microbiota imbalance and inflammation.
Unhealthy diet can increase the risk of Candida albicans infection
Diets originating from certain countries and traditional cuisine, such as Mediterranean cuisine, Okinawan cuisine, and Nordic cuisine, all contain a large amount of whole plant foods, such as vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, which are associated with lower disease risk. The rapid spread of western diet and lifestyle around the world has led to the rapid increase of obesity and modern civilized diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
In addition, in Western countries, unhealthy diets high in fat and sugar, especially processed foods, can lead to changes in gut microbiota associated with intestinal inflammation. The processing of Western cuisine includes shelling, heating, and adding preservatives, all of which can affect the microorganisms in the food. The process of heating and adding preservatives may help reduce pathogenic and spoilage bacteria, ensuring food safety and extending shelf life. However, these measures to reduce the number of pathogenic or spoilage bacteria also decrease the intake of beneficial food microorganisms.
It is worth noting that processed foods and high-fat diets are also associated with dysbiosis of the gut microbiota, including decreased abundance of Bacteroidetes and increased abundance of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria. A high-fat diet can lead to an increase in bacteria that produce lipopolysaccharides (LPS), such as Enterobacteriaceae, while a decrease in bacteria that inhibit LPS, such as Bifidobacterium. In addition, this diet can affect intestinal epithelial cells, leading to changes in the intestinal barrier, including increased intestinal permeability and increased translocation of LPS from the intestine to the bloodstream.
The increase in fat intake, especially long-chain fatty acids, can trigger the release of inflammatory cytokines from intestinal lymphocytes, epithelial lymphocytes, dendritic cells, and intestinal epithelial cells. A low-fat and high dietary fiber diet can reduce inflammation and gut microbiota imbalance in patients with ulcerative colitis, improving their quality of life. Researchers have analyzed fungal components in different samples of individuals who are eutrophic, overweight, and obese, and found that the number of fungal species is higher in obese individuals than in eutrophic individuals. In addition, Candida albicans is the most common fungus among obese individuals.
In terms of a high sugar diet, consuming simple sugars can reduce the biodiversity of the gut microbiota and decrease the levels of short chain fatty acids in the intestinal lumen. An experimental study showed that mice fed a high sugar diet had significantly increased intestinal permeability, spleen weight, and neutrophil levels. After administration of DSS, these mice rapidly developed severe colitis. In addition, the fecal samples of these mice showed a significant increase in pathogens, such as Escherichia coli and Candida.
Whole plant foods contain fermentable dietary fiber, which is the part of the food that cannot be digested by endogenous enzymes in the small intestine. In the large intestine, microorganisms can ferment these dietary fibers to produce various metabolites, the most significant of which are short chain fatty acids, including acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid, which have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. Among these whole plant foods, whole grains contain complex dietary fiber components such as arabinoxylan and β – glucan, which help increase the production of short chain fatty acids.
In a diet with low animal fat and protein content but high dietary fiber content, short chain fatty acids provide additional energy to colon cells. Short chain fatty acids bind to G protein coupled receptors expressed on intestinal endocrine L cells, triggering the secretion of glucagon like peptide 1 and peptide YY, thereby increasing energy consumption, reducing food intake, improving glucose metabolism and insulin secretion.
The more snacks and junk food consumed, the higher the levels of branched chain fatty acids in feces, which reflects the breakdown and metabolism of animal protein by bacteria. In this high-fat and protein rich diet, bacterial enzymes first break down complex proteins, releasing free amino acids and short peptides, which are then fermented. The increase in protein fermentation, branched chain fatty acids (such as isobutyric acid and isovaleric acid), organic acids, and gases can lead to dysbiosis of the gut microbiota and leakage of pathogen derived compounds, including an increase in LPS levels in the blood, resulting in inflammation and insulin resistance.
The metabolites produced by a healthy gut microbiota have antifungal activity against Candida albicans. Butyric acid can inhibit the growth and filamentation of Candida albicans, as well as enhance the antifungal activity of macrophages. The gut microbiome metabolome can also inhibit the hyphal growth of Candida albicans and its invasion of human colon epithelium.
Other factors that promote fungal infections and gut microbiota dysbiosis
Unhealthy dietary patterns are not the only lifestyle factors that lead to inflammation. Smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, lack of physical activity, long-term use of antibiotics, and chronic psychological stress can all promote the occurrence of diseases and gut microbiota imbalances.
smoking
Smoking can reduce saliva production, alter oral microbiota, and increase the colonization of Candida in the mouth. A study has found that smokers have a 7-fold increased risk of oral candidiasis infection. The presence of oral Candida is also more likely to occur in smokers with active dental caries. The higher colonization rate of Candida albicans in smokers may be due to the reduced antifungal activity of neutrophils. In addition, smoking reduces the amount of gingival crevicular fluid containing antibodies and white blood cells. Mice lacking IL-1 β exposed to smoke have a higher colonization rate and lower survival rate of Candida albicans.
Excessive drinking
Excessive alcohol consumption is a major risk factor for many health problems. Long term alcohol intake in mice can increase the number of fungal flora, promote the translocation of fungal β – glucan into the bloodstream, while antifungal drug treatment can reduce intestinal fungal load, decrease β – glucan translocation, and improve alcohol induced liver damage. Subsequent clinical studies have found that patients with alcohol-related liver disease have lower fungal diversity, while Candida species are abundant. In addition, serum levels of anti brewer’s yeast antibodies are associated with increased mortality in patients with alcoholic hepatitis. Therefore, intestinal fungal therapy may be beneficial for patients with alcoholic hepatitis, and levels of anti brewer’s yeast antibodies may help predict their prognosis.
Lack of sports activities
Lack of physical activity can lead to various health outcomes, triggering the activation of different systemic inflammatory cycle markers such as C-reactive protein, IL-6, and TNF alpha. However, regular physical exercise can improve quality of life, reduce systemic inflammation, and enhance immune response to infections. Moderate exercise can increase the phagocytic ability of neutrophils in young men towards Candida albicans. With physical exercise, the spontaneous migration, chemotaxis, spontaneous attachment, and feeding of Candida albicans by macrophages significantly increase. Therefore, physical exercise has a beneficial effect on the phagocytic function of macrophages.
Long term use of antibiotics
Long term use of antibiotics to fight against infectious diseases is also a factor leading to changes in microbial richness and diversity. After antibiotics remove protective bacteria, the environment becomes more conducive to the growth of Candida. Long term use of antibiotics increases the risk of vulvovaginal candidiasis, which is directly related to the duration of antibiotic use and not to the type of antibiotic.
In the experimental mouse model, bacterial diversity decreased after long-term antibiotic treatment, but the presence of Candida albicans during antibiotic recovery can promote the recovery of bacterial diversity. Long term antibiotic treatment can also reduce the number of Bacteroidetes in the cecum of mice, but the presence of Candida albicans during antibiotic recovery promotes the recovery of Bacteroidetes. However, the presence of Candida albicans can lead to a long-term decrease in lactobacilli and promote the growth of Enterococcus faecalis. Therefore, the presence of Candida albicans can help maintain the destruction of gut microbiota. In addition, the levels of Candida albicans in the fecal samples of healthy volunteers who received antibiotic treatment also increased.
pressure
Stress is a series of events caused by external or internal factors that threaten the homeostasis of the body. Research has shown that exposure to social stressors can alter the stability of gut microbiota and lead to bacterial translocation, resulting in a decrease in the relative abundance of Bacteroides and an increase in the relative abundance of Clostridium. The fungal load in the liver and kidneys of rats infected with Candida albicans and exposed to chronic variable stress is increased. In addition, the production of nitric oxide by macrophages is significantly reduced. Therefore, chronic variable stress can impair the phagocytic activity of macrophages towards Candida albicans.
Strategies for improving gut microbiota and reducing gut fungal load
Low levels of vitamin D and E, micronutrients such as selenium, and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are associated with adverse clinical outcomes during infection. A diverse diet rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, micronutrients, probiotics, and prebiotics can improve gut microbiota and short chain fatty acid production, reducing fungal load.
vitamin
Vitamin D is synthesized in the skin after exposure to sunlight and can also be obtained from certain foods such as fish, egg yolks, dairy products, and mushrooms. A clinical trial found that daily supplementation of vitamin D3 can reduce IL-13 response induced by Aspergillus fumigatus. Vitamin D3 can regulate the anti-inflammatory response of cytokines by inhibiting the expression of TLR2, TLR4, Dectin-1, and mannose receptors in peripheral blood monocytes infected with Candida albicans.
Vitamin D3 also has a bactericidal effect, and its lipophilic properties can alter the integrity of fungal cell membranes, thereby possessing antifungal properties. Vitamin D3 can also affect the carbohydrate metabolism and ribosome biogenesis of Candida albicans. In the mouse intraperitoneal candidiasis model, vitamin D3 can reduce fungal load in different organs, as well as decrease the infiltration of inflammatory cells and the levels of IFN – γ and TNF – α.
Vitamin E is a fat soluble compound found in many nuts, seeds, vegetables, and fats. Vitamin E has a broad anti-inflammatory effect on Candida albicans by inhibiting NF – κ B activity. Compared with using amphotericin B alone, adding vitamins C and E to amphotericin B can significantly improve the treatment efficiency of patients. In addition, when vitamins C and E are added, human red blood cells can be protected from the cytotoxicity caused by amphotericin B. These vitamins protect the body from the self oxidation reaction induced by amphotericin B through their antioxidant properties.
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids contain alpha linolenic acid (18:3 omega-3), linoleic acid (18:4 omega-3), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5 omega-3), docosapentaenoic acid (22:5 omega-3), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6 omega-3). The fat of marine mammals and the liver of whitefish contain long-chain fatty acids such as EPA and DHA. Different studies have shown that EPA and DHA are not only beneficial for heart, brain, and eye health, but also for the immune system. There is evidence to suggest that polyunsaturated fatty acids and their ester derivatives can effectively combat various oral pathogens, including Candida albicans.
Micronutrients
Selenium is a micronutrient that enters the food chain through plants consumed by humans and animals. In the human body, selenium is bound to at least 25 selenium proteins, which have a wide range of functions such as antioxidant activity, chemoprevention, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties. Selenium nanoparticles easily attach to the biofilm of Candida albicans and then penetrate into the pathogen, thereby disrupting the cell structure of Candida albicans by replacing sulfur. In selenium deficient mice infected with Candida albicans, the fungal load in their liver and spleen was significantly higher than in mice supplemented with selenium. In addition, selenium deficiency can also impair the ability of mouse neutrophils to kill Candida albicans.
probiotics
Probiotics are active microorganisms that are beneficial to human health. Currently, commonly used probiotics include lactobacilli, bifidobacteria, and certain yeasts such as Saccharomyces boulardii or Saccharomyces cerevisiae, all of which have been proven to be safe. Probiotics compete with pathogenic bacteria for nutrients and adhesion sites, improving microbial imbalance. In addition, they can improve epithelial barrier function, regulate immune responses, and indirectly affect other organs through neurotransmitter production and immune regulation.
Research has shown that lactobacilli can inhibit the biofilm formation of Candida albicans. Lactic acid bacteria may inhibit the growth of Candida albicans by competing for nutrients and producing lactic acid and other organic acids that lower pH. Probiotics can help restore a healthy bacterial composition in the gut during dysbiosis.
Probiotics are crucial for interactive feeding activities within microbial communities, affecting the metabolic capacity of other symbiotic organisms. Bifidobacterium can metabolize different types of carbohydrates from the host’s diet or mucous membranes, producing varying levels of acetic acid and lactic acid. A high-fat diet can cause significant changes in the gut microbiota of mice, leading to increased intestinal permeability, LPS translocation, inflammation, impaired glucose tolerance, and increased appetite. However, lactobacilli can completely reverse these obesity related features by altering gut microbiota characteristics. Similarly, obese mice supplemented with lactobacilli and bifidobacteria showed weight loss, decreased cholesterol levels, fewer fungi in their bodies, restored liver morphology, and improved gut microbiota.
Brain activity can also be regulated by consuming specific probiotics. After supplementing with Lactobacillus casei for 2 months, the abundance of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium significantly increased in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, and anxiety symptoms were significantly reduced. After 30 days of supplementing healthy volunteers with Lactobacillus helveticus and Bifidobacterium longum, their levels of anxiety and depression also decreased.
prebiotics
Probiotics are a type of dietary component that cannot be digested and absorbed by the host, but can selectively promote the metabolism and proliferation of beneficial bacteria in the body, thereby improving the host’s health, such as oligofructose. Probiotics can alter the composition and/or activity of gut microbiota. In addition, prebiotics can alleviate symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease and antibiotic associated diarrhea caused by infections.
Supplementing with oligofructose can reduce pathological immune responses and prevent structural damage to the intestinal barrier in DSS induced colitis mice. Oligofructose can also effectively prevent vaginal infections. β – glucans present in oats, barley, fungi, and some algae, as well as chitin present in the cell walls of crustaceans and fungi, can also act as prebiotics in preventing gut microbiota dysbiosis.
Feeding animals with β – glucan and chitin can improve the colonization efficiency of Bifidobacterium strains. Oral administration of β – glucan or chitin in DSS induced colitis mice can lead to a decrease in aerobic bacterial count (especially Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis) and fungal count, while the numbers of Lactobacillus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa significantly increase. Therefore, β – glucan or chitin plays an important role in regulating immune responses and improving the biodiversity of gut microbiota.
Foods with antifungal properties
Many foods, especially plant-based foods, have natural antifungal activity, including garlic, cinnamon, lemongrass, coconut oil, ginger, seaweed, thyme, olive oil, fermented vegetables, apple cider vinegar, and yogurt.
garlic
For thousands of years, garlic has been widely used for medicinal purposes. Freshly crushed garlic contains active ingredients such as allicin, which have antibacterial and antifungal properties. Allicin can inhibit fungal growth by suppressing succinate dehydrogenase. Garlic can affect the lipid composition of the outer surface of Candida albicans. In addition, garlic extract can inhibit the growth of Candida albicans by forming pits on the surface. Garlic extract can also inhibit the formation of Candida albicans hyphae and affect the expression of SIR2 gene that inhibits morphogenesis.
The ethanol extract of garlic, allicin, can inhibit the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine in the cytoplasm and prevent fungal morphological transformation. The garlic lectin isolated and extracted from garlic bulbs has inhibitory activity against different strains of Candida albicans and Candida auricula. In addition, fungal cells treated with garlic agglutinin produce hydrogen peroxide, which also affects cell integrity.
cinnamon
Cinnamon is the inner lining of cinnamon trees and is often used as a spice. It has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti allergic properties. Researchers evaluated the effects of Artemisia argyi, Eucalyptus, Onion, Cinnamon, Turmeric, Sage, Peppermint, and Calendula on Candida albicans and found that all eight exhibited antifungal properties. Compared to onions, mint, marigold, and sage, cinnamon has higher potency and greater therapeutic effects, while turmeric, mugwort, and eucalyptus have similar effects.
In India, cinnamon is often soaked in water as a mouthwash to combat dental caries pathogens. Compared with amphotericin B, cinnamon extract has a longer inhibitory effect on the growth of Candida albicans. In addition, cinnamon leaves and cinnamon bark extracts have inhibitory effects on pathogenic bacteria such as Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium graminearum, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Trichophyton rubrum. Cinnamon essential oil extracted from Ceylon cinnamon can effectively inhibit some virulence factors of clinical strains of Candida albicans, including protease production, germ tube formation, and adhesion of Candida to epithelial cells.
The main components of cinnamon essential oil, cinnamaldehyde and eugenol, can inhibit the growth of 80% of skin fungal strains isolated from patients with psoriasis. Both cinnamon bark and cinnamon leaf essential oils can exert antifungal activity against Candida auricula and Candida albicans by disrupting the membrane structure of fungi.
lemongrass
Lemongrass is an aromatic plant widely distributed around the world and is a commonly used seasoning in soups and teas. It can improve oral health, aid digestion, and control bad breath. Lemon lemongrass also has antifungal activity against Candida albicans, and lemon lemongrass essential oil with a concentration as low as 0.06% can eliminate Candida albicans.
Citral is the main component of lemongrass essential oil, accounting for about 70%, and it has an effective inhibitory effect on Candida. Lemon lemongrass essential oil can also reduce the activity of Candida in biofilms. Lemon lemongrass essential oil, as a gas phase agent, can exhibit antifungal activity against Candida albicans by altering the structure and surface morphology of fungal cells.
coconut oil
Coconut oil contains glycerides of lauric acid, which are monoglycerides formed by the esterification of lauric acid and glycerol. It has been proven to have a wide range of biological activities, such as antibacterial and antiviral properties. Oral administration of glycerol monolaurate can significantly reduce oral Candida albicans infection in mice, and it can also significantly reduce the formation of Candida albicans biofilm.
Compared to a diet containing butter or soybean oil, a diet rich in coconut oil can reduce the colonization of Candida albicans in mice. Adding coconut oil to the diet can also alter the metabolic program of Candida albicans. The content of long-chain fatty acids in the cecum of mice fed with coconut oil was lower than that of mice fed with butter, and the expression activity of some genes related to fatty acid use in Candida albicans of mice fed with coconut oil was lower than that of mice fed with butter.
ginger
Ginger is an important spice used worldwide for cooking and medicinal purposes, with various beneficial medical properties. In terms of antibacterial activity, ginger extract has anti biofilm activity against bacteria. 6-gingerol and 6-gingerol in ginger can inhibit the biofilm and hyphal formation of Candida albicans. In addition, ginger extract can also inhibit the formation of biofilms of Candida albicans and Candida krusei. The combination of ginger extract and fluconazole has a synergistic effect in the treatment of drug-resistant vulvovaginal candidiasis in mice.
seaweed
Seaweed is mainly an aquatic photosynthetic organism. Mice infected with Candida albicans showed reduced histopathological changes and significantly decreased expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines after treatment with seaweed (Ulva lactuca) extract. That is to say, seaweed extract can enhance cellular antioxidant defense ability through its active compounds, thereby reducing the inflammatory response mediated by Candida albicans.
Seaweed (Gracilaria) extract contains three bioactive compounds: steroids, terpenes, and tannins, which can inhibit the formation of biofilms by Candida albicans isolated from smokers’ saliva. Fucoidan polysaccharide is a sulfate polysaccharide found in seaweed, which has strong antifungal activity against Candida albicans. Plant tannins from black algae prevent the dimorphism of Candida albicans, thereby reducing its virulence and ability to invade host cells.
thyme
Thyme can be used for both cooking and medicinal purposes. Both fresh and dry thyme leaves can be consumed. The main bioactive components of thyme are thymol and carvacrol. Thyme essential oil combined with fluconazole has synergistic effect on candida albicans and candida tropicalis formed by biofilm.
olive oil
Olive oil plays an important role in the Mediterranean diet, as it enhances important stimulation of intestinal motility through interactions with bile acids. Olive oil mainly contains oleic acid (18:1), which accounts for 55-83% of its fatty acid composition. It also contains linoleic acid and linolenic acid. Extra virgin olive oil can improve intestinal permeability and alleviate histopathological features related to inflammation. An experimental study showed that oleic acid has antifungal activity against Candida albicans.
Fermented vegetables
Fermented vegetables contain many bacteria that can participate in digestion, resistance to pathogens, and immune regulation activities. The natural bacteria on the surface of vegetables can be used for fermentation, as these bacteria utilize plant carbohydrates and convert them into lactic acid. The fermentation process also produces other compounds, such as carbon dioxide, acetic acid, and bioactive substances. During the fermentation process, microorganisms rapidly proliferate and the ecosystem changes over time, with different microbial species dominating at different stages of fermentation.
Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus brevis and Lactobacillus sake are lactic acid bacteria often found in the fermentation of pickled Chinese cabbage and kimchi. These bacteria provide immune regulatory signals, support digestion processes, produce bioactive compounds such as isothiocyanates, and inhibit pathogens by producing acids and bacteriocins. Some bacteria isolated from pickled Chinese cabbage or kimchi have the function of antifungal fungi. Three strains of Lactobacillus plantarum isolated from kimchi exhibit antifungal activity against Candida albicans, resulting in a significant decrease in fungal growth. In addition, lactobacilli in kimchi can enhance mucosal immunity and exert anti Candida albicans activity by increasing the level of secreted IgA.
apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is made from apple juice through a process called acetic acid biotransformation, with low acidity. It also contains flavonoids and polyphenols, as well as vitamins, minerals, and organic acids. Research has shown that apple cider vinegar can enhance the phagocytic activity of monocytes against Candida albicans. Apple cider vinegar can also reduce the survival and growth of Candida albicans.
yogurt
Yogurt is a fermented dairy product made by lactic acid bacteria through fermentation and acidification. In addition to providing high bioavailability protein, yogurt is also an excellent source of calcium and probiotics, making it a good component of a healthy lifestyle. Compared to pasteurized yogurt, eating yogurt rich in active lactic acid bacteria every day can help eliminate recurrent candidal vaginitis. Eating probiotic yogurt can reduce the colonization of fungi in women’s bodies.
summary
The busy daily life has led many people to choose unhealthy eating patterns and resulted in many developing sedentary lifestyle habits. In addition, our daily life often causes us to experience chronic psychological stress, which in turn leads to the development of unhealthy habits such as smoking and drinking, as well as a decrease in social interaction. All these factors can have adverse effects on the gut microbiota and are associated with the occurrence of intestinal inflammation, which can lead to dysbiosis of the gut microbiota and overgrowth of Candida albicans, which is the main cause of fungal infections worldwide.
The dietary pattern of low intake of ultra processed foods and high intake of plant-based foods is receiving increasing attention as a potential therapeutic strategy. There is increasing evidence that adhering to a healthy diet and lifestyle can also enhance the immune response to Candida and reduce the occurrence of chronic inflammatory diseases related to gut microbiota imbalance. Healthy diet and lifestyle factors are of great significance for improving human health and increasing the biodiversity of gut microbiota.
Reducing the intake of saturated and trans fats, increasing the intake of polyunsaturated fats, especially omega-3 fatty acids, and diversifying the diet with moderate intake of dietary fiber, micronutrients, vitamins, fermented vegetables, probiotics, and prebiotics, as well as certain herbs and spices, can improve the biodiversity of gut microbiota, lead to the production of short chain fatty acids, and reduce excessive growth of gut fungi. In summary, healthy diet and lifestyle factors can help improve gut microbiota, which in turn contributes to human health.