A new study has found a link between yeast infections and mental illness
A sexually transmitted
yeast infection has been linked to schizophrenia in men and also appears to damage the memory of
mentally ill women, according to new research.
The Candida albicans fungus is usually present in the human digestive tract, but if it grows to much it can cause burning, itching, thrush in infants, and a genital infection in adults.
The study found 26 per cent of 261 men with schizophrenia were producing immune-system antibodies designed to fight a Candida infection, compared to 14 per cent of those without the condition.And, while there was no similar pattern in women, those with schizophrenia and the highest Candida antibody levels performed significantly worse in tests of their memory.
Professor Emily Severance, of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, stressed while they had found a link between the yeast infection and mental illness, it was "far too early to single out Candida infection as a cause of mental illness or vice versa".
"However, most Candida infections can be treated in their early stages, and clinicians should make it a point to look out for these infections in their patients with mental illness," she added.
"Although we cannot demonstrate a direct link between Candida infection and physiological brain processes,
our data show that some factor associated with Candida infection, and possibly the organism itself, plays a role in affecting the memory of women with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and this is an avenue that needs to be further explored.
"Because Candida is a natural component of the human body microbiome, yeast overgrowth or infection in the digestive tract, for example, may disrupt the gut-brain axis.
"This disruption in conjunction with an abnormally functioning immune system could collectively disturb those brain processes that are important for memory."
Professor Severance added
Candida infections can be avoided by reducing sugar consumption, avoiding unnecessary antibiotics and maintaining good hygiene. Normally Candida is controlled by friendly bacteria in the body and the immune system.The researchers, who published a paper on their work in the journal
NPJ-Schizophrenia, now plan to look into whether there is a cause-and-effect relationship between Candida infections and memory problems.
Last year, a separate study published in
Nature Communications suggested
anxiety and depression could be linked to bacteria in the intestines.
Comment: Yeast infections can result in many chronic illnesses and symptoms including allergies, chronic inflammation, joint problems, mood and brain disorders, digestive symptoms, and others. It is quite common, yet many people are not aware they have it, and conventional doctors often ignore the condition. It can be triggered by a number of things including diets high in carbohydrates, an impaired immune system, use of drugs such as antibiotics, birth control pills, estrogen, and steroids as well as psychological stress. For more information on the symptoms associated with fungal overgrowth and suggestions for treatment, see: