I love sharing this post again and again because I’ve been getting this question in various forms for YEARS… Does Absorb Plus cause a candida problem?
These questions seem to have the same underlying concerns, so here’s an updated version of my answer – as well as a good representation of most people’s discomfort.
Concerns about Absorb Plus absorbing Candida
Reader question:
I am very concerned about the issue of Absorb Plus feeding candida. I decided to use Absorb Plus for the IBD remission diet because your book says that it starves the good and bad bacteria in the gut, creating almost a clean state for the gut, which is then populated with probiotics (by the way, I was taking probiotics twice a day during the diet anyway).
Now I feel like this description of Absorb Plus was incorrect: it seems like it kills some bacteria, but it actually feeds and can help one of the most harmful bacteria, Candida, multiply quickly! This seems like a big problem! – and I’m now worried about the ultimate success of the remission diet for me. Maybe I can kill it with oregano oil, which I’ve used before. But if I’m still consuming a product with that much fructose, it seems to be an uphill battle as the candida is being well fed all the time – and the body is likely to become imbalanced again when I stop the oregano. I also get more and more diarrhea when I take oregano oil – and I could definitely do without that.
How can my gut recover if this imbalance continues and the gut becomes more colonized by Candida than before? And the fact that I have to spend more money on oregano oil to combat the problem while Absorb Plus nourishes it makes no sense to me.
Jinis AAnswer:
Please don’t panic – thousands of people have successfully used Absorb Plus (Absorb Element+ in the UK) so far. All people with IBD have some degree of Candida overgrowth, and nothing has changed.
First of all, Candida albicans is NOT a bacteria. It is a yeast organism. And it is a natural and beneficial resident of our entire body – as long as it is in a healthy balance with other microorganisms.
The problem occurs when there is an overgrowth of Candida. This happens for numerous reasons, but is usually triggered by taking medications, antibiotics or steroids. These medications kill the good bacteria in the gut that normally keep Candida in balance.
Candida overgrowth and intestinal disorders
Like many microorganisms, simple carbohydrates (sugars) are the preferred food of yeast organisms. (Like Candida albicans and other Candida strains).
When it comes to healing intestinal disorders, healing often has to be done in layers because you simply can’t treat everything at once – your body can’t handle it. Compared to intestinal bleeding, malnutrition and malabsorption, constant pain, etc., mild to moderate Candida overgrowth is definitely a “minor” problem and can be treated after the more serious symptoms have subsided.
This is because there is NO elemental product that does not feed Candida – because ALL carbohydrates are broken down into sugar. So even if you consume a fructose-free elemental product, the maltodextrin (or whatever the carbohydrate source may be) feeds the candida plant.
If you get frequent diarrhea when taking wild oregano, that is also normal and actually positive. It shows the body flushing all dead pathogenic microorganisms and their toxic byproducts from your intestines.
The overgrowth of Candida alone produces more than 178 toxins. By taking a high dose of probiotics every night before bed (as recommended in Jini’s Wild Oregano Oil Protocol), you will also help stabilize and support the healing of gut flora.
At the same time, Absorb Plus helps to heal and restore the intestinal lining during the day and eliminate malnutrition.
Keep candida at bay
NOTE: Dr. Roy and Debbie Steinbock put all of their patients on an anti-pathogen protocol (like Jini’s Wild Oregano Oil Protocol) for two weeks before starting an elemental diet. In this way, their patients do not confuse the death of pathogens with basic nutrition. That’s a great idea!
The combination of wild oregano oil and probiotics should be enough to keep candida under control during the elemental diet – for some it is even enough to solve the candida problem.
If this does not solve the candida problem, this problem can be completely solved before or after completing the elemental diet. My teleseminar with Dr. Carolyn Dean (Candida, Detox & More!) gives you detailed instructions on how to achieve this.
Back to the concept of “healing in layers”: What heals inflammation, ulcers, and malabsorption in the gut is not what heals candida overgrowth. They require different therapies and protocols. That’s simply the way the body works. If you really follow an anti-candida protocol intensively before strengthening the gut. And if you gain enough weight to withstand a detox response, you trigger a full-blown IBD flare-up. What’s worse?
I had a reader who had severe Crohn’s symptoms and knew she needed to do the IBD remission diet, but she wouldn’t use Absorb Plus because of the fructose. She insisted on waiting for the fructose-free Absorb Plus (in production at the time). However, her Crohn’s disease worsened without healing the ulcers and malnutrition, and she died. Now who knows what other factors played a role here.
But the conclusion is:
Cure the most serious symptoms first, then work your way down the list to gradually eliminate the rest.
Gather all information
Now, as far as the information in the book “The IBD Remission Diet,” I wrote in the first edition of the book that the elemental diet starves the bad bacteria in the colon. And at the time of writing, that is exactly what the medical literature proclaims.
It has since been theorized that some of the maltodextrin actually enters the colon undigested. Therefore, the harmful bacteria are not completely removed. This update is included in the series of emails you should receive after purchasing the book. If you have not received these emails or have lost them, please email us. The second edition automatically contains all this information.
Regardless, this is another reason I recommend you (in the same email series). At the same time, either participate in Jini’s Wild Oregano Oil Protocol or begin taking high-dose probiotics at the beginning of the dietinstead of waiting until the end. These help keep candida under control during (and after) the diet.
So if you only had a mild candida problem to begin with, taking the high-dose probiotics (1 teaspoon each, 3x per day) may not be a problem. And that may be enough to keep the Candida infection at bay without causing too much diarrhea. However, if you feel Candida infestation increasing, start and follow Jini’s Wild Oregano Oil protocol.
And remember: If in doubt, please contact your doctor to be tested for infection. Then you can assess whether you have a mild, moderate or severe candida problem. And whether you are infected with other microorganisms such as C. difficile. Then you would definitely have to treat an intestinal infection first.
Original post February 2009. Last updated January 2024.
Jini Patel Thompson is an internationally recognized expert in natural healing for digestive diseases. She healed herself from widespread Crohn’s disease and has been medication and surgery free for over 25 years. Jini has appeared on numerous podcasts, TV and radio shows in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, giving people hope and vision on how to heal their colitis, Crohn’s disease, diverticulitis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) using all-natural methods. Her books on natural healing of digestive diseases have been sold in over 80 countries worldwide. Jini is married and has three children, nine sheep, 11 horses, a cat and three dogs.
