Candida Overgrowth, Leaky Gut and Gut Cleanse Claims Checked

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This page is information only and gives no diet, cleanse, antifungal or supplement protocol. Do not stop a prescribed medicine for a cleanse. See a doctor for persistent digestive symptoms, blood in stool, weight loss, fever, or repeated yeast infections. NHS advice is to see a GP for thrush that keeps coming back (more than 4 times in 12 months) or when you have a weakened immune system. [1] A yeast infection in the bloodstream can be life-threatening. [2] For digestive symptoms see digestive symptoms: when to get help.

Three marketed ideas, kept apart

Candida overgrowth, "leaky gut" and gut "cleanses" are marketed together in some wellness and integrative settings; the people offering them have different training and legal scope, discussed on the credentials page. We use these labels: established (proven infection or condition), no good evidence of benefit, insufficient evidence, marketing claim.

Candida: what is established

Candida is the scientific name for yeast, a fungus that lives almost everywhere, including in the body, and usually the immune system keeps it under control. [2] A review reports that in 50% of the population Candida albicans is part of the normal flora. [3] Infections do happen: thrush, vaginal yeast infections, skin infections and bloodstream infections, and antifungal medicines get rid of yeast infections in most people. [2] The NHS says thrush usually needs antifungal medicine. [1]

"Candida overgrowth" as a cause of fatigue, bloating or mood

The claim: a hidden gut yeast overgrowth causes many symptoms and must be fought with a special diet or cleanse. What was tested: In a 1990 randomized, double-blind crossover trial in 42 premenopausal women with presumed "candidiasis hypersensitivity syndrome," nystatin did not reduce systemic or psychological symptoms significantly more than placebo; the authors called long-term nystatin recommendation unwarranted. [4] Vaginal symptoms did improve more with active treatment, as expected for a yeast infection. [4] Label: no good evidence of benefit for the syndrome. Proper evidence not found, in what we searched (PubMed for candida syndrome, anti-candida diet and stool candida tests), for a trial showing that an anti-candida diet improves symptoms; our web search returned mostly non-clinical sites, which we did not use. Because the fungus is part of normal flora in many people, finding it does not by itself show disease (our reasoning from the review); we did not find a source that evaluated commercial stool candida tests. [3]

Leaky gut

What is real: The gut barrier exists, and permeability can be measured with research tests. A Gut review by a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist describes barrier function tests using probe molecules and biopsies, and notes that inflammatory or ulcerating intestinal diseases result in a leaky gut. [5] What is not proven: The same review says information on "healthy" or "leaky" gut in the public domain requires confirmation before endorsing dietary exclusions or supplements to repair damage, and that it is still unproven that restoring barrier function improves clinical manifestations in GI or systemic diseases. [5] It also says no inflammatory or ulcerating intestinal disease can be cured by simply normalising barrier function. [5] Label: insufficient evidence for "leaky gut" as a treatable cause of many conditions. For the Wellness section's guide see leaky gut cleanses and gut tests.

Gut cleanses

NCCIH says there is limited clinical evidence validating colonic irrigation and insufficient evidence for its prescribed uses, and that some cleansing programs can be unsafe and falsely advertised. [6] Programs that include laxatives can cause diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration and malabsorption. [6] See detox programs and chelation claims and the index of claims checked.