[toc]Yeast. Good for making bread. Bad for your health, if it grows inside you.
That’s exactly what many women and men suffer from, when it comes to the Candida albicans species.
This pathogenic yeast is actually found in the gut flora of 40-60% humans. For most, it causes no problems. For a few, it grows out of control. (1)
Candidiasis, which is the technical term for overgrowth, is responsible for oral thrush, most vaginal yeast infections, diaper rash in babies, and when it overgrows in the small intestines, it can cause digestive issues, fatigue, and more.
Can probiotics fight Candida?
Probiotics are not classified as a proven medical treatment for yeast overgrowth, however there is substantial clinical and in vitro (lab) evidence to suggest they may help. Candida growth and biofilm development have been suppressed using certain types of probiotics, particularly strains of the Lactobacillus genus. It may not directly kill Candida but it could help get rid of it, by naturally restoring microbiota balance in the digestive tract. Yeast infections of the mouth (thrush) and vagina may also benefit from topically applied probiotics.
How long do you have to take probiotics for Candida?
Most of the clinical trials reporting success involved a treatment period ranging from 4 to 6 weeks. If probiotics really work for a Candida diet, taking them for that long should lead to improvement. If no benefit is experienced by that time, then they’re probably not going to help.
What the clinical studies say
Just counting those from this century, there are over a dozen lab studies published in peer-reviewed medical journals involving probiotics being used on C. albicans, C. psuedotropicalis, C. glabrata, C. tropicalis, and C. krusei grown on agar well plates, assays, denture strips, and other materials.
Of course, what works in the lab doesn’t always work in humans.
Rather than analyze those lab studies, let’s take a look at the results of the human clinical trials to see how real-life probiotic treatments fared.
Oral infections and growth
| Year | Infection Area | Infection Type | Participants | Probiotic Treatment | Results | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Oral | C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. krusei, and C. tropicalis |
276 elderly people | L. rhamnosus GG (ATCC 53103), L. rhamnosus LC705, Propionibacterium freudenreichii ssp shermanii JS. Given in form of probiotic cheese or control cheese for 16 weeks. |
Reduced the prevalence of dry mouth without side effects. |
(2) |
| 2012 | Oral | C. albicans, C. tropicalis, C. guilliermondii, C. glabrata, C. lipolytica, C. krusei, C. kefyr, and C. parapsilosis |
42 adult women over the age of 65. | L. casei and Bifidobacterium breve, taken 3x per week for 30 days. |
Reduction of Candida prevalence from 92.9% to 85.7% and increase of anti-Candida IgA levels. |
(3) |
| 2012 | Oral | Unspecified Candida strains | 7 healthy denture wearers (1 man, 6 women) over the age of 55. | L. casei Shirota therapy 1x per day for 28 days | No changes seen. | (4) |
| 2013 | Oral | Unspecified Candida strains | 21 adults, ages 18-45. | L. casei Shirota therapy 1x per day for 28 days | No changes in Candida levels or morning breath scores. | (5) |
| 2014 | Oral | Unspecified Candida strains | 65 adults with Candida stomatitis symptoms. | Antifungals with and without L. bulgaricus, Bifidobacterium longum, and Streptococcus thermophilus. Each group took 3x per day for 4 weeks. |
Reduction in Candida levels in probiotic group and significant relief of side effects. | (6) |
| 2015 | Oral | Unspecified Candida strains | 55 adults harboring Candida yeast but with no clinical symptoms of oral candidiasis. | L. rhamnosus HS111, L. acidophillus HS101, and Bifidobacterium bifidum. Taken 1x per day for 5 weeks, or a placebo. |
Significant reduction in Candida levels in probiotic group. | (7) |
| 2015 | Oral | Unspecified Candida strains | 215 elderly adults, 60 to 102 years old. | L. reuteri DSM 17938 and L. reuteri ATCC PTA 5289. Taken 2x per day for 12 weeks, or a placebo. |
Significant reduction of Candida cells detected, based on saliva and dental plaque samples. | (8) |
Based on the trials, it appears probiotics work for thrush or at least help reduce C. albicans growth in the mouth and throat. While not all trials reported success, none reported a worsening of Candida growth after a probiotic cleanse.
Gastrointestinal infections
| Year | Infection Area | Infection Type | Participants | Probiotic Treatment | Results | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | GI tract | Unspecified Candida strains | 80 preterm neonate babies with a very low birth weight. | L. casei subspecies rhamnosus added to human breast milk, or the milk by itself, taken for up to 6 weeks. |
Probiotic supplemented milk significantly reduced enteric colonization of Candida yeast and the number of fungal isolates. No adverse reactions noted. |
(9) |
| 2011 | GI tract | Unspecified Candida strains | 249 preterm neonate babies with birth weight above 2,500g and gestational age <37 weeks. | L. reuteri (ATCC 55730) and L. rhamnosus (ATCC 53103) added to breast milk or formula, or those without. Taken up to 6 weeks. |
Stool colonizations of Candida were reduced significantly, with L. reuteri working better than the L. rhamnosus treatment. | (10) |
| 2013 | GI tract | Unspecified Candida strains | 181 preterm neonate babies with a birth weight ≤1,500g and gestational age ≤32 weeks | Saccharomyces boulardii added to breast milk or formula once per day, or nystatin treatment taken every 8 hours. |
Candida colonization of the stools and skin were similar between both treatment groups, but clinical sepsis and the number of sepsis attacks was lower in the probiotic group. | (11) |
| 2013 | GI tract | Unspecified Candida strains | 150 babies and children, from 3 months to 12 years old, who were on antibiotics for at least 48 hours. | L. acidophillus, L. rhamnosum, B. longum, B. bifidum, S. boulardi, and Saccharomyces thermophilus. Taken 2x per day for 7 days, or a placebo. |
Significant reduction of Candida in the urine but not the blood. Probiotic therapy avoided a significant increase in number of patients with colonized Candida infections. | (12) |
| 2014 | GI tract | Unspecified Candida strains | 112 preterm neonate babies with birth weight ≤2,500g and gestational age <37 weeks. | L. acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis, B. longum, and B. bifidum. Added to breast milk 2x per day for 6 weeks, or a placebo. |
Shorter hospital stays, lower stool fungal colonization, and earlier normal feeding established in the probiotic group. | (13) |
There are several relatively large clinical trials involving preterm babies being successfully treated with probiotics for GI infections. However when it comes to adults with Candida overgrowth in the gut, peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials are lacking.
Vaginal yeast infections
| Year | Infection Area | Infection Type | Participants | Probiotic Treatment | Results | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Urinary tract/vaginal | Unspecified Candida strains | 235 non-pregnant women, ages 18-50, who had underwent a short course of oral antibiotic therapy. | L. rhamnosus and B. longum taken as oral powder 2x per day. L. rhamnosus, L. delbrueckii, L. acidophilus, and Streptococcus thermophiles used in vaginal pessary 1x per day. Both treatments used for 6 days. |
Neither the oral or vaginally applied probiotics prevented post-antibiotic vulvovaginitis | (14) |
| 2009 | Urinary tract/vaginal | Unspecified Candida strains | 55 women diagnosed with vulvovaginal Candidiasis (VVC). | Single dose of fluconazole (antifungal drug). Probiotics L. rhamnosus GR-1 and L. reuteri RC-14 taken 1x per day for 4 weeks, or a placebo |
Probiotics significantly reduced vaginal discharge, itching, burning, and pain during sexual intercourse and urination. Lower count of Candida detected. Mild side effects noted but not conclusively attributed to the probiotics. | (15) |
| 2012 | Urinary tract/vaginal | Unspecified Candida strains | 30 women, 23-64 years old. | L. fermentum LF10 and L. acidophilus LA02 (arabinogalactan and fructooligosaccharides as prebiotics). Taken 1x per day for the first 7 days, then 1x every 3 days for days 8-28. In the following month, taken 1x per week. |
86.6% of women experienced resolution of their Candida yeast infection. Recurrence rate after 2 months was only 11.5%. | (16) |
| 2013 | Urinary tract/vaginal and oral | Unspecified Candida strains | 24 women; 17 with HIV and 7 without. | Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus (DanActive or YoPlus yogurt) each used for 15 days, with a 30 day washout period between each. |
Both probiotic yogurts resulted in lower fungal colonizations. DanActive yogurt worked best in the HIV positive women for their vaginal colonizations. Results were not considered statistically significant. | (17) |
| 2015 | Urinary tract/vaginal | Candida albicans | 436 women, ages 17-50, all positive for C. albicans vaginal yeast infections. | L. acidophilus, L. rhamnosus, L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, and S. thermophiles. These were used with and without the antifungal medicines fluconazole and fenticonazole. |
Topical application of the probiotics reduced clinical complaints and improved vaginal fluorine, tissue changes, and pH levels. | (18) |
There is fairly robust clinical data documenting both oral dosages and topically applied probiotics improving vaginal yeast infections. Since two trials had over one hundred participants each, these findings are noteworthy.
Best probiotics for Candida?
According to the human clinical data, the best probiotics for yeast infections are most likely Lactobacillus (L. rhamnosus, L. reuteri, L. casei, L. bulgaricus, L. acidophillus). The strains L. delbrueckii and L. fermentum have evidence but were used in fewer trials. There are a fair amount of studies to support Bifidobacterium (B. breve, B. longum, B. bifidum, B. lactis). Streptococcus thermophilus may work in conjunction with one or more of these. All of these are potentially good probiotics for Candida and may help them die off.
Whether it’s Candida albicans in the intestinal tract, the mouth/throat, or the vagina, there is a large overlap as to which probiotic strains seem to work. This is despite the fact they are vastly different locations on the body and were often taken differently (e.g. capsules or topically applied powder).
Enzyme Science Candida Control supplement contains many Lactobacillus strains. It’s a delayed-release capsule and is designed to be used as a short 1-2 week cleanse. The best time to take the probiotic is 2 capsules per dose, taken 3x per day, or as directed by your doctor.
You can buy Candida Control on Amazon
Whether it’s that one or another brand, you should consult your doctor before using. Probiotic supplements and are not intended to prevent/treat/cure yeast infections, or any other disease.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.