A leaky or permeable gut lining, antibiotic use, and a sugary, gluten-filled diet invite systemic Candida overgrowth.
Candida is a fungus that naturally lives in the human body.
While Candida is native to the mouth, the digestive tract, and the birth canal, it can overgrow—especially when we are under physical, mental, or emotional stress.
Candida is opportunistic and can change its form when necessary. The two most common forms of Candida are yeast cells and hyphae.
Hyphae are finger-like threads of fungus that can bury into tissue and spread like roots in soil. The hyphal form of Candida is its most destructive form, helping it to infect any area that it can in the human body. This is when Candida overgrowth becomes systemic.
Besides assuming several different forms, Candida also shrouds itself in sticky goo called biofilm. Biofilm allows Candida to colonize the body, while protecting it from the immune system.
And as if that were not enough, the cell wall of Candida can change its composition and influence the immune system—making Candida overgrowth very difficult to control.
Any protocol designed to control Candida overgrowth must attack the issue at several different levels. This includes:
- Controlling Candida yeast overgrowth in the gut, mouth, and birth canal.
- Tearing down Candida biofilm.
- Destroying the cell wall of Candida.
The Cell Wall of Candida
The cell wall of Candida is made up of mostly sugars and proteins. The most important sugars that make up the cell wall of Candida are called beta-glucans. Beta-glucans are fibrous sugars that you would find in the bran of grains and the woody part of plants.
The beta-glucans in the cell wall of Candida can both stimulate an immune response and suppress an immune response.
When our immune system is weakened—whether from poor diet, illness, or emotional stress—it is unable to detect Candida as the fungus builds sticky biofilm or changes into its invasive hyphal form.
Beta-glucans are used by Candida to construct its sticky and protective biofilm. Enzymes that break down Candida’s cell wall and biofilm help to fully expose beta-glucans and activate an immune response against Candida overgrowth.
Hemicellulase is a group of enzymes that targets Candida overgrowth. This is because hemicellulase contains enzymes that break apart the cell wall of Candida, reducing its ability to hide from the immune system and invade tissue.
Hemicellulase also helps to break down the tough “roughage” found in fruits, vegetables, and grains. When left undigested, these fibrous sugars can slow digestion and prevent the absorption of nutrients.
In the gut, hemicellulase can manage or prevent Candida overgrowth.
Once hemicellulase is available in the bloodstream, it can also help to control systemic yeast overgrowth.
What Are Systemic Enzymes?
Research has found that the body naturally secretes digestive enzymes into the bloodstream, where they can tackle systemic disease.
The enzymes found in raw foods and those that we take as a supplement mostly remain in the gut. However, when we take supplemental enzymes between meals—especially in slightly larger doses—these enzymes can show up in the bloodstream.
A leaky or permeable gut lining, antibiotic use, and a sugary, gluten-filled diet invite systemic Candida overgrowth. Candida can travel in the bloodstream, infecting the sinus cavities and practically every organ in the body, including the skin and the brain.
Controlling Candida with Enzymes and Strains of Bacteria/Yeast
To control Candida overgrowth in the gut, it is essential to incorporate:
- Enzymes like hemicellulase that help destroy the cell walls of Candida, keeping its aggressive behavior in check.
- Specific strains of bifidobacterium and probiotic, such as saccharomyces boulardii, that help restore balance to the inner ecosystem, making it difficult for Candida to grow out of control.
REFERENCES:
- 1. J Ruiz-Herrera, et al. Molecular organization of the cell wall of Candida albicans and its relation to pathogenicity. FEMS Yeast Research. 2006; 6: 14–29. doi: 10.1111/j.1567-1364.2005.00017.x
- 2. Y Nakagawa, et al. Suppression by Candida albicans b-glucan of cytokine release from activated human monocytes and from T cells in the presence of monocytes. J Infect Dis. 2003 187: 710–713.
- 3. AJP Brown, et al. Ec Galar Fungail Consortium Final Report. European Union, Brussels. 2003.
- 4. M Galan-Diez, et al. Candida albicans beta-glucan exposure is controlled by the fungal CEK1-mediated mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway that modulates immune responses triggered through dectin-1. Infect Immun. 2010 Apr;78(4):1426-36. doi: 10.1128/IAI.00989-09. Epub 2010 Jan 25.
- 5. L Isenman, et al. The endocrine secretion of mammalian digestive enzymes by exocrine glands. Am J Physiol. 1999 Feb;276(2 Pt 1):E223-32.
- 6. C Kolac, et al. Oral bioavailability of proteolytic enzymes. European journal of pharmaceutics and biopharmaceutics.1996; 42 (4): 222-232.
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