Take Care of Candida with
Cranberries?
By Taryn Forrelli, ND - Edited by Christine Dreher CCN, CCH
 About Candida
The human body is estimated to be home to over 100 trillion microscopic
residents. Many are known to play a crucial role in maintaining health,
but some can compromise health if not kept in balance. One such organism
is Candida albicans (Candida, for short), a yeast normally present in
the gut, mouth, throat, and vagina. Imbalances of Candida are extremely
common. In fact, 75% of women will experience a Candida imbalance in
their vaginal tract at some time in their lives. Additionally, many
believe that chronic low-grade Candida imbalances may be responsible for
a wide variety of physical and mental health concerns, including
indigestion, abdominal gas, headaches, low energy, mental fog, general
itching, and cravings for sweets.
A healthy balance of Candida in the body is maintained by friendly or "probiotic"
bacteria and the metabolites they secrete, several of which directly
modulate the growth of Candida. Consequently, when the number of
probiotics decrease due to assaults from stress, smoking, alcohol, and
food preservatives, Candida can proliferate, often to the detriment of
its human host. Candida imbalances may also be fueled by a diet high in
sugar, as well as imbalances in blood sugar metabolism since sugar is
the preferred food source for yeast.
Restoring a healthy balance of Candida can be a challenge due to its
ability to exist within a protective sticky matrix called a biofilm. The
formation of a biofilm begins with a single Candida cell attaching
itself to a surface, such as gut or vaginal tissue, using cell-adhesive
glycoproteins (a protein or carbohydrate molecule). Once attached, the
cell begins to secrete biological glues, which both promote further
Candida cell adhesion and protection for the growing cell cluster from
attacks by the immune system and other competing organisms.
The formation of a biofilm-embedded, multi-cellular community of Candida
is a very effective survival mechanism. So effective, in fact, that
resistance to antimicrobial agents may increase as much as 1,000 times,
according to one researcher. Biofilms can make it difficult not only for
conventional Candida treatments to be effective, but for popular natural
ones as well.
For several years now, scientists have been challenged to develop
natural therapies that target Candida biofilms. While most have turned
to the world of synthetic molecules, one group of microbiologists and
biochemists have turned to nature and made a surprising discovery.
About Cranberries
Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) is widely recognized as a superfood
and has been extensively researched for its health benefits. Cranberry,
a fruit long used to promote microbial balance in the urinary tract (an
area where Candida imbalances can occur), contains 12 bioactive
constituents that significantly modulate Candida adhesion and growth in
vitro.* Seven of these constituents are 'novel,' or never before
described. Whether these bioactive elements of cranberry have the same
effect in humans as they have shown in the laboratory is not known.
The researchers were able to identify the Candida-modulating
constituents of cranberry using DART (Direct Analysis in Real Time), a
highly sophisticated analytical tool which can generate a precise
chemical fingerprint of any substance within seconds. DART allowed the
researchers to literally "see" cranberry in a whole new light. They
identified several bioactive constituents that bind to the glycoproteins
on the surface of Candida responsible for host recognition, adhesion and
biofilm formation, and others that slow the replication of Candida. In
other words, these elements are believed to make Candida cells less
sticky and, therefore, less likely to become imbalanced.
 The Candida-modulating constituents in cranberry are delivered as part
of a proprietary extract of whole ripe cranberries in a formula offered
by
New Chapter called
Candida Take Care - an herbal therapeutic that
helps promote microbial balance and helps to balance natural yeast
populations. The extract is created using a patent-pending supercritical
and hydroethanolic extraction process, which optimizes levels of the key
bioactive constituents so that clinically useful concentrations can be
achieved in the bloodstream within 30 minutes. All of the constituents
are delivered as part of a broad spectrum of over 700 constituents
naturally occurring in whole cranberry. These additional elements
provide important synergistic benefits, such as promoting a healthy
inflammation response and neutralizing free radicals.
Another truly impressive feature of
Candida Take Care is that every dose
contains the exact same DART fingerprint as the last. In other words,
every vegetarian capsule consumed will deliver the described
constituents.
Candida Take Care is a safe and effective way to slip off Candida
biofilms and help maintain a healthy balance of Candida in the body. The
suggested serving size is one vegetarian capsule daily for maintenance
or two daily for enhanced defense. Consider combining
Candida Take Care with a live probiotic supplement, such as
All-Flora or
Probiotic Cleanse
by
New Chapter to further promote microbial balance.
Additional Resources:
For more information on the Candida Take Care by New Chapter, click
here.
Books on Candida
Articles:
Take Care of Your Urinary Tract - New herbals for Urinary Tract Support
& Candida Modulation
Strengthen Your Gut Naturally with Omega 7 from Sea Buckthorn
Ostrich Syndromes – Candida & Parasites
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