The reasons we make changes to our diet are many and varied: losing weight, better skin, improved digestion… but it’s likely eating for vaginal health doesn’t often cross your mind.
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But making sure this reproductive organ stays happy and healthy is as good a reason as any to keep your diet varied, as this can help you avoid infections, fight off bad bacteria and generally keep things in working order. Here, Dr Karen Morton, consultant gynaecologist and founder of Dr Morton’s, the medical helpline, explains what we should be eating to ensure good vaginal health.
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If you get regular yeast infections
There are several reasons why a woman might develop a yeast infection (such as thrush, which is shown to affect 75% of women at some point), including being overweight.
“Being overweight leads to a sweaty crotch and a predisposition to fungal infections in the groin, and if this leads to diabetes, the chances of getting recurrent thrush are even higher.”
This is because high sugar levels lead to better conditions for yeast to grow. Focus on eating a healthy, balanced diet that allows you to maintain a healthy weight to reduce your chances of developing type 2 diabetes.
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“Having said that, even slim women can have the unpleasant experience of cottage cheese-like discharge and burning irritation, which means yeast (candida) or ‘thrush’ infection. The first attack will often follow starting to have sex and the abrasion, which is there at the beginning of a sex-life before you really start to relax and lubricate properly,” says Karen. “Women who get recurrent infections will usually be re-infected from their gut, where yeast lives harmlessly in a balance with millions of bacteria which live there too. Boosting the bacteria in the gut will tip that ecosystem away from yeast, so taking a probiotic drink every day and avoiding yeasty food such as bread, beer and crusty cheeses will help.”
Live bacteria probiotic drinks, such as Yakult, as well as fermented foods will help the level of yeast in your gut as low as possible. If you’re prone to these type of infections, a daily probiotic drink will reduce the frequency of the infections and play a big part in keeping them at bay. Additionally, live probiotic yoghurt will work just as well.
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If you get cystitis or UTIs
You’ve almost certainly heard before that cranberry juice goes a long way in helping you overcome urine infections, which affect roughly 150 million people each year. Many women swear by this remedy, saying that it not only helps cure these painful infections, but that it also prevents them from returning. In the absence of conclusive scientific evidence as to why this happens, Karen admits that there’s no harm in trying.
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“Whilst the evidence is rather inconclusive, the theory is that there is an active ingredient in cranberry prevents the troublesome bacteria from sticking to the wall of the bladder and causing inflammation. On balance, it is certainly harmless and – as it also encourages a good fluid throughout – it has to be good.”
The ingredient in question is a substance called proanthocyanidins, and a systematic review of studies published in 2012 found that products containing cranberries – whether in juice, food or capsule form – reduced the risk of infection, particularly in those who had them twice a day. However, there have also been some studies disproving this, which is why there is some confusion on the subject.
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