Candida yeast and gluten free diets

[DeannaJoyLyons]

A friend told me the other day that her allergy specialist said she should go on a gluten free diet because she has higher than normal levels of yeast (candida) and that diet would help control it. Some red flags reared their heads with that statement, but because I wasn't very sure, I went looking for info.

Do you know how many millions of results you get when you such things?

Does anyone have a pointer to a good source for correct info?

Thanks!
Deanna

 

[Capsid]

That's interesting, a relative of mine was advised the same thing and then had to buy a course of pills. I call it woo since there were no tests done to show either there was high candida (what's high anyway?) and a gluten sensitivity.

I looked on PubMed to see if there were any controlled studies and didn't find any that supported that view.

 

[casebro]

Candid is not a true yeast. But if it were, yeasts feed on sugar (I'm a home brewer). The only way for a person's diet to effect their sugar levels is if they are diabetic (I'm diabetic too).

I believe there is a diabetes link, but that is probably due to side effects, NOT sugar levels but things high sugar causes.

But Gluten is a protein anyhow. (I'm gluten sensitive too- gives me angina).

So, while it could make sense, I'll call WOOoo.

 

[Joey McGee]

Steven Novella, Director of the JREF's Science-Based Medicine Project, from an article at sciencebasedmedicine.org (research tip, they cover almost everything on that blog, just google {wacky health claim sciencebasedmedicine} and you'll probably find what you want)

Evans then builds her case with this falsehood:

First, an estimated 90 percent of the population has a problem with candida overgrowth, although most don’t know it. And second, candida overgrowth can be the root cause of literally hundreds of different problems in the body.

Wrong. Candida does colonize about 90% of the population, but as part of the normal ecosystem. Most people do not have a problem with candida overgrowth. There is also no evidence that candida causes hundreds of health problems. This is a pseudoscientific claim that is not uncommon among sectarian practitioners. Candida overgrowth is a popular “fake” diagnosis that fits the common pattern – claims that it causes common non-specific symptoms and hundreds of real health problems, so that it can be diagnosed in anybody.

While candida can cause real infections, it can be treated with antifungals and usually presents only an acute illness that can be cured. Some people do have problems with recurrent infections. But there is no evidence that chronic candidiasis is an epidemic or can cause many disparate conditions. This concept of candidiasis is used as a “theory of everything”, popular among medical pseudosciences.

Further reading and resources/references from wikipedia entry.

Check out Dr. Novella's lecture course from The Teaching Company.

 

[DeannaJoyLyons]

Great stuff, thanks so much! I hope some of it is well received! (but you all know how people get!)

 

[jli]

You are right about raising the red flags. The alternative concept of yeast infection is very different from real yeast infection.

In the alternative world the diagnosis is not made by a medical doctor, but either something one deduces from filling out questionnaires on the internet, or it is made by a practitioner of some kind of alternative medicine.

If that is the case with you, it might be noteworthy that they don´t believe that any test done by a medical doctor will be able to detect the yeast, and that they don't always believe that anti-fungal medication will be of any benefit. The fact that they don't believe that drugs that work against detectable yeast have any effect on "invisible" yeast should raise a red flag.

You might like to read a little more about the problems with the alternative concept of yeast infection here: http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/candida.html