Thrush. There, we said it. It’s unpleasant, but it will affect more than 75 per cent of us girls at some point in our lifetime (and some men, too).
Google “thrush treatment” and pretty much every site will tell you to stay away from the sweet stuff. (It’s also widely known that diabetic patients are more likely to experience thrush due to higher blood sugar levels).
But what’s the link between sugar and thrush? And will reducing your sugar intake help if you’re prone to a bout from time to time?
What exactly is thrush?
It’s essentially an overgrowth of yeast (mostly Candida) in your lady parts. But it can occur in other parts of the body, too.
“Another common condition to know about is bacterial vaginosis, which has similar symptoms to thrush,” says dietician and IQS Expert Natalie Bourke. “But this one is an overgrowth of “bad” bacteria, rather than yeast.”
Your good bacteria keep everything in balance (usually).
“Beneficial bacteria such as lactobacillus plantarum and lactobacillus acidophilus compete with bad bacteria and yeasts in the vagina and urinary tract for a place on your cell walls,” says Natalie.
And if these good guys happy and healthy, they keep all the nastier populations in check.
But if things get out of balance…
It can send yeast and bad bacteria growth into overdrive. Cue the unpleasant symptoms of itchiness, burning, funky discharge and pain when you go to the bathroom. Not fun!
So what’s sugar got to do with it?
Well, scientists reckon bad bacteria AND candida actually feed off sugar. So, a high-sugar diet gives them the power they need to get a leg up on the good bacteria and cause all that unpleasantness.
“Excess consumption of sugar can promote the growth of both bad bacteria and yeasts like Candida,” says Natalie. “Your diet has an affect on not just the gut microbiome, but the makeup of your urogenital microbiome, too.”
Plus, since too much sugar can weaken your immune system, it can exacerbate yeast or bacterial overgrowth even further, as your body becomes less able to fight off infection. Is it time you gave sugar the flick?
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