What Is Candida

What is candida? Simply stated, it's an overgrowth of a yeast organism in the body called candidiasis or candida. Every healthy individual has a certain amount of this yeast occurring naturally in his body. In certain situations, however, candida can multiply, causing an overgrowth that takes over healthy microorganisms.

Candida often presents itself as a yeast infection or thrush, an infection that cause white patches on the tongue and in the mouth. Fungi live on our bodies, but only become a problem when they cause infections, which is most common in warm and moist areas. It's commonly found in the nailbed, mouth, throat, vagina and digestive tract.   

Candida is also the most common yeast found in the intestinal tract. Again, it's not an issue for candida to exist there, but it becomes a problem when it multiplies there. Some doctors believe that an overgrowth of candida can lead to chronic fatigue and other vague symptoms of feeling unwell. While candida really isn't anything to worry about, it can cause annoying issues.

Several factors can make the conditions in your body especially favorable for candida to grow, such as taking antibiotics or inhaled corticosteroids or individuals with diabetes or weakened immune symptoms. To help rid the body of candida, many try a candida diet, which eliminates alcohol and foods containing sugar, including fruits because they're direct food sources for candida to multiply.