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Brent A. Bauer, M.D.
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Brent A. Bauer, M.D.
Brent A. Bauer, M.D.
Brent Bauer, M.D., is board certified in internal medicine. He is a consultant in the Department of Internal Medicine and director of the Department of Internal Medicine's Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dr. Bauer, a native of Madison, Wis., is also an associate professor of medicine at Mayo Medical School and a graduate of Mayo Medical School.
He serves on the editorial board of the Mayo Clinic Health Letter and EmbodyHealth Newsletter and has been with Mayo Clinic since 1992, first practicing at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., before joining Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., in 1996.
Dr. Bauer's principal research focus is the scientific evaluation of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies that patients and consumers are using with increasing frequency. He has authored several book chapters and papers on this topic, and is the medical editor of the "Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine." Dr. Bauer also spearheaded a collaboration between Mayo Clinic and Gaiam in the creation of a series of 10 DVDs (Mayo Clinic Wellness Solutions). These DVDs address common health problems (for example, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure) with integrative medicine approaches that empower people to take charge of their health.
Dr. Bauer is a member of NIH-NCCAM study section and is currently collaborating on over 20 studies being conducted at Mayo Clinic evaluating CAM therapies ranging from acupuncture to valerian. He is also a member of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society; the American Federation for Medical Research; the North Central Cancer Treatment Group and other professional organizations.
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Question
Candida cleanse: What does it treat?
A nutrition counselor told me a "candida cleanse" diet would cure my fatigue, headaches and weight gain. What conditions does a candida cleanse diet treat?
Answer
from Brent A. Bauer, M.D.
Some alternative practitioners blame common symptoms such as fatigue, headache and poor memory on intestinal overgrowth of the fungus-like organism Candida albicans, or yeast syndrome. To cure the syndrome, they recommend a candida cleanse diet, which includes no sugar, white flour, yeast and cheese, on the theory that these foods promote candida overgrowth.
Unfortunately, there is not much evidence to support the diagnosis of yeast syndrome and many conventional practitioners doubt its validity. And there are no clinical trials that document the efficacy of a candida cleanse diet for treating any recognized medical condition.
Not surprisingly, many people note improvement in various symptoms when following this diet. If you stop eating sugar and white flour, you'll generally wind up cutting out most processed foods, which tend to be high in calorie content and low on nutritive value. Within a few weeks of replacing processed foods with fresh ones and white flour with whole grains, you may start to feel better in general. That, rather than stopping the growth of yeast in the gastrointestinal tract, is the main benefit of a candida cleanse diet.
Next questionColloidal silver: Is it safe or effective?
- Jobst D, et al. Candida species in stool, symptoms and complaints in general practice — A cross-sectional study of 308 outpatients. Mycoses. 2006;49:415. http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118604451/abstract. Accessed Aug. 26, 2009.
- White SJ, et al. Self-regulation of candida albicans population size during GI colonization. PLOS Pathogens. 2007;3:e184. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=18069889. Accessed Aug. 26, 2009.
- Hobday RA, et al. Dietary intervention in chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of Human Nutrition and Diet. 2008;21:141. http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119409421/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0. Accessed Aug. 26, 2009.
- Bauer BA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Aug. 28, 2009.
