It’s the health issue women don’t like to talk about even though roughly 75 percent of all women will at some point in their life experience it—vaginitis—a vaginal infection caused by an overgrowth of yeast. Candida albicans (C. albicans) is the type of yeast that most typically causes the infection, which is also called candidiasis or, more simply, a yeast infection. They are a common annoyance to women with uncomfortable symptoms including severe itching, burning, soreness and a whitish or whitish-gray discharge. new research is showing there are more natural ways for women to keep yeast populations in check than the commonly prescribed or over-the-counter antifungal.
About Yeast Infections
Let’s first understand the nature of yeast infections. They occur whenever the balance of vaginal flora is disrupted—when new yeast is introduced into the vaginal area, or when there is an increased quantity of yeast already present in the vagina relative to the number of normally residing protective bacteria. such an imbalance occurs when protective bacteria are eradicated by antibiotics that are taken to treat infections of the urinary tract or respiratory tract or some other type of infection. In cases of the use of immunosuppressive drugs, candida cells can multiply, invade tissues and cause irritation of the lining of the vagina.
Women with suppressed immune systems, for example after taking cortisone-related medications such as prednisone, develop vaginal yeast infections more frequently than women with normal immunity. other conditions that may predispose women to developing vaginal yeast infections include oral contraceptives, pregnancy and the use of douches or perfumed vaginal hygiene sprays as well as wearing a wet swimsuit for long periods of time.
Yeast overgrowth is not limited to vaginitis or to women. C. albicans is associated with a wide range of clinical conditions. The organism that becomes invasive can also cause oral mucosal infections and even progress to a more complex and life-threatening systemic condition, particularly in patients with weakened immunity.
Currently, a limited range of antifungal treatments are available, but these treatments are often associated with unpleasant side effects and the development of resistance by candida, requiring a switch in medication or an increase in dose. The increasing resistance of C. albicans to favored treatments such as fluconazole or amphotericin have prompted women who experience frequent vaginitis to seek out new, nondrug ways of addressing the infection or avoiding one altogether. and that’s where nutritional supplements with antifungal properties such as Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract (AGE) come into play. Research indicates that supplementing with AGE may help restore a healthy balance of yeast in the body.
Understanding Candida
Let’s take a closer look at this stubborn yeast, C. albicans. In addition to vaginal infections, systemic invasion of C. albicans can affect the oral cavity and cause disease and death in immunocompromised patients (e.g., patients with AIDS or undergoing cancer chemotherapy or organ or bone marrow transplantation). C. albicans biofilms can form on the surface of implantable medical devices, increasing risk. Hospital-acquired candida infections in patients previously not considered at risk (i.e., patients in an intensive care unit) have become a cause of major health concern.
C. albicans is among the many organisms that live in the human mouth and gastrointestinal tract. Under normal conditions, you might be surprised to learn that C. albicans lives in 80 percent of the human flora population with no harmful effects, but overgrowth results in candidiasis. to infect tissues, the usual single-cell yeast-like form of C. albicans reacts to environmental signals and switches into an invasive form that contains many cells and has filaments (hyphae). The production of these filaments is an essential step for C. albicans to become virulent and produce invasive infections that can become systemic. The switch in form and the addition of the hyphae is largely controlled by something called the Sir2 gene.
Aged Garlic Extract
Garlic has long been known to contain compounds with antifungal activity, yet many people shun an intake of large doses of the fresh bulb as a remedy because of the odor that lingers on the skin and breath. But that no longer needs to be a worry, as Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract is an odorless preparation made from organic fresh garlic and offers an important alternative to the intake of garlic. Rich in antioxidants, AGE is a highly popular supplement with a wide range of health effects that often surpass those of fresh garlic. Since it is odorless, its intake does not have the potential antisocial drawbacks that may occur by eating large amounts of odorous fresh garlic.
Kyolic AGE is made by the Wakunaga company in a slow extraction and aging process at room temperature and contains water-soluble compounds such as S-allyl cysteine as well as lipid-soluble organosulfur compounds such as diallyl disulphide (DADS) and other beneficial compounds.
Garlic Extract Compounds—Anti-Candida Agents
In the last few years, a number of experiments have supported the action of garlic compounds as therapeutic agents against candida infections, as the ubiquitous opportunistic pathogen C. albicans was found to be sensitive to garlic.
AGE contains compounds called saponins, with a particular saponin eruboside B found to be an antifungal agent, active against C. albicans, in experimental systems.
Another compound contained in AGE, DADS, has also been shown in several studies to act as an antifungal agent and inhibit the growth of C. albicans. The mechanism of action is complex, whereby DADS is capable of killing candida by decreasing respiration and suppressing the activity of protective enzymes and other molecules that are critical for the viability of Candida albicans.
Inhibition of the Virulent, Invasive Form of Candida
As mentioned earlier, one of requirements for the infectious C. albicans to become virulent and invasive is the ability to transform from one form to another and form filaments (hyphae), a process that is largely controlled by the gene called Sir2. A series of studies undertaken by low, et al, at the University of Putra Malaysia, aimed to determine the effect of a garlic extract on the transformation of C. albicans to its virulent invasive form. The investigators found that growing candida cells in the presence of garlic extract prevented the transition of the yeast to its hyphal, invasive form—a very significant finding. They also discovered that by increasing concentration of the garlic extract, there was a 1 1/2- to 2 1/2-fold decrease in the expression of the Sir2 gene. The investigator concluded that it was unlikely that C. albicans will develop a resistance to the garlic compounds and that the anti-candida effects of the garlic extract in preventing transformation of the yeast to its virulent form may provide an important natural alternative to antifungal medications.
Treatment with antifungal medications can be effective, but Candida albicans develops resistance. one of the most promising ways of keeping C. albicans in check that relies on natural ingredients is garlic and the odor-free aged garlic extract, Kyolic AGE, which contains antifungal components. Though clinical trials have not been carried out to prove the efficacy of garlic in eradicating candida and curing vaginitis, experimental studies show that exposing candida cells to a variety of garlic compounds present in AGE inhibits candida from developing into the virulent invasive form that can lead to systemic infections as well as kills the yeast cells, strongly suggesting that AGE, the odorless form of garlic, may be a powerful remedy against infections by Candida albicans.
Resources
Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract is available at health food retailers nationwide. to find a location near you, visit kyolic.com or call 800-421-2998.
Carmia Borek, PhD (genetics and molecular biology), is a professor in the Community Health and Family Medicine/Nutrition and Infectious Disease Unit at Tufts University School of Medicine and a food and nutrition consultant.
This article was originally published in The Doctors’ Prescription for Healthy Living, in which Wakunaga is an advertiser.





