As if the world’s overweight men and women didn’t have enough to worry about, but yes, obesity is one of the risk factors for chronic yeast infections.
There are two reasons why overweight women get more vaginal yeast infections and why both men and women who weigh too much can get skin rashes and canker sores, which are caused by Candida albicans yeast.
The first reason is purely physical: yeast loves warm, moist areas of the skin, and the folds of fat create exactly the right conditions for yeast to live on the skin. Yeast can overpopulate areas under the breasts, in the armpit, in the crotch, and in any area that remains wet from perspiration. An absorbent powder used in these areas can help.
The other reason has to do with hormones. As most of us know, obesity is one of the main risk factors for type II diabetes. And the risk of diabetes is caused by something that also causes yeast infections: a change in hormonal balance due to increased insulin resistance.
Insulin is a hormone that your body uses to keep blood sugar at a safe level. The extra fat cells can make your body resistant to insulin, so your pancreas needs to produce more and more of this hormone to be effective. When the pancreas can no longer pump enough insulin to remove excess glucose from the blood, it is said to have insulin resistance. At this point, you will probably also be diagnosed with diabetes or prediabetes.
Since insulin resistance can cause yeast infections, many women are first diagnosed with diabetes when they go to the doctor for their chronic vaginal infections.
How can an overweight man or woman reduce their risk of yeast infection? Staying as dry as possible, of course. But the most important thing you need to do is improve your health to reduce your risk of diabetes, which is a much more serious condition than yeast infection. To do that, you must lose weight, eat a healthy diet, and exercise regularly.
Since insulin resistance can make weight loss difficult, it is important to include exercise in your daily routine. Exercise helps improve your cells’ ability to use insulin. It also helps prevent heart disease, which often accompanies obesity and diabetes. Exercise will also help you lose weight.
And you should talk to your doctor about a healthy diet that will help prevent or reverse your risk of diabetes. Studies have shown that a good diet, accompanied by regular exercise, is the most effective treatment for insulin resistance.
The Diabetes Prevention Program suggests a diet low in calories and fat. Since yeast loves sugar, you may also want to eliminate sugar from your diet. It will help you reduce the daily calories you eat, help you lose weight, and reduce your risk of exacerbating yeast infections.
Your first step if you are overweight and suffer from chronic yeast infection? Talk to your doctor, get checked for diabetes, and follow your doctor’s advice! You can save your life.