Title: Type 2 Diabetes and Yeast Infections | Everyday Health
Headings: Type 2 Diabetes and Yeast Infections
Type 2 Diabetes and Yeast Infections
Blood Sugar and Yeast Infections
Diabetes and the Ability to Fight Yeast Infections
Yeast Infection Treatment
Lowering Your Risk for Yeast Infections
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Content: Although many women experience yeast infections, women with type 2 diabetes are at a greater risk, especially if their blood sugar levels are higher than normal. Blood Sugar and Yeast Infections
Most women have yeast organisms as part of their normal flora, the tiny microorganisms that live on and inside our bodies. These microorganisms don’t cause any discomfort or symptoms because they're limited in number. But when there's overgrowth, their presence becomes a problem. “No one knows exactly why yeast infections are more common [in women with type 2 diabetes ], but there is a definite association with how well a person's diabetes is controlled," says Vincent Woo, MD, endocrinologist at the University of Manitoba Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg, Canada. An increased level of blood sugar from diabetes affects the entire body, not just the blood. “ Elevated blood sugar appears in the mucus of the vagina and vulva, so they serve as an excellent culture medium for yeast,” says Daniel Einhorn, MD, a former president of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and medical director of the Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute in San Diego. Yeast gets energy from sugar, so in an environment that is moist with sugar, yeast may overgrow. Diabetes and the Ability to Fight Yeast Infections
The effects of diabetes on the body become more obvious as time goes on. People who don’t keep good control of their blood sugar may develop complications related to the constantly high levels.