How does xylitol protect women against thrush (Candida)?
Thrush is caused by an overgrowth of the yeast-like fungus, Candida albicans. Yeast thrives on sugar. Substituting xylitol for sugar helps lessen the incidence and severity of thrush by depriving yeast of its food source. Xylitol also helps reduce thrush through its fermentation in the gut by friendly bacteria, which proliferate and whose increased numbers then crowd out growth by pathogenic micro-organisms like C. albicans.
