Candida and SIFO
Candida and SIFO
Medically reviewed by:
Dr John Freeman
What Is Candida?
Candida is a naturally occurring yeast that lives on the skin, in the mouth, and throughout the gastrointestinal tract. In healthy amounts, it is harmless. Problems arise only when candida grows beyond normal levels—a condition known as candidiasis.
Normally, candida is kept under control by a balanced microbiome and a well-functioning immune system. When either of these systems becomes disrupted, candida can multiply rapidly.
How Candida Overgrowth Happens
Candida overgrowth occurs when something weakens or disrupts the body’s natural defences—most commonly:
Antibiotics (which kill beneficial bacteria but not yeast)
High-sugar, high-refined carbohydrate diets
Excessive alcohol intake
Weakened immunity
Oral contraceptives
Diabetes or elevated blood sugar levels
High stress
These factors reduce microbial competition and create an environment where candida can thrive.
Why Antibiotics Increase Candida Risk
Antibiotics are designed to kill bacteria—not yeast. When beneficial bacteria are wiped out, candida suddenly has:
more space
more access to nutrients
less microbial competition
This allows the yeast to multiply rapidly.
It’s similar to clearing a garden bed: once the plants (bacteria) are removed, weeds (yeast) grow quickly in the newly empty space.
Symptoms and Health Effects of Candida Overgrowth
Common symptoms include:
Oral thrush
Fatigue
Recurring genital or urinary infections
Digestive issues (bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhoea)
Sinus infections
Skin or nail fungal infections
Joint pain
Because symptoms overlap with other gut disorders—especially SIBO—accurate diagnosis is important.
How to Address Candida Overgrowth
Managing candida involves both elimination and prevention:
Kill the overgrowth using herbal antifungals or medical antifungal medications.
• FixBIOME Antimicrobial Protocol includes herbal ingredients with proven antifungal activity.Identify and address the root cause (e.g., antibiotics, blood sugar imbalance, dysbiosis, weak immunity).
Modify your diet temporarily
• Reduce sugars, refined carbs, and lactose-rich dairy (all fuel yeast growth).
• Increase foods that support beneficial bacteria, such as fibre-rich vegetables.Support a stronger microbiome
• After completing antimicrobial treatment, use products that help restore balance, like FixBIOME Gut Repair & Microbiome Support.
SIFO: Small Intestinal Fungal Overgrowth
Research shows that about 97% of fungi found in SIFO cases are candida species, indicating a very strong connection between the two.
What Is SIFO?
SIFO occurs when fungi—mostly candida—overgrow in the small intestine, leading to chronic digestive symptoms. Unlike candida infections of the skin or mouth, SIFO affects the gut and often goes unrecognised.
Studies show that up to 25% of people with chronic, unexplained gastrointestinal symptoms have SIFO.
Symptoms of SIFO
Bloating or fullness
Gas
Belching
Abdominal pain
Diarrhoea
Nausea
Because these symptoms mirror those of SIBO, the two conditions often get confused—and sometimes occur together.
Risk Factors for SIFO
People at highest risk include those with:
SIBO (bacterial overgrowth creates an ideal environment for yeast)
Weakened immune systems
Older age
Early childhood (immature immunity)
Intestinal dysmotility
Use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which lower stomach acid
Long-term antibiotic use
Low stomach acid, slow motility, and disrupted microbiome balance are major contributors.
Health Problems Linked to SIFO
Gastric ulcers
Crohn’s disease
Ulcerative colitis
May contribute to IBS symptoms
Persistent bloating or pain despite clearing SIBO
Treatment for SIFO
If testing shows elevated fungal levels in the small intestine, treatment options include:
1. Herbal Antifungals
These may be preferred by individuals seeking a natural protocol or who cannot tolerate medication.
FixBIOME Antimicrobial Protocol contains botanicals shown in research to have antifungal properties, including against candida species.
2. Medical Antifungal Medications
Such as nystatin or fluconazole, prescribed by a clinician.
3. Addressing Root Causes
After clearing the fungal overgrowth, long-term success depends on supporting digestion, motility, and gut immunity.
FixBIOME Motility Support can help restore optimal movement of the small intestine (MMC), preventing recurrence.
FixBIOME Digestive Support may help enhance acid and bile flow—two natural antifungal defences.
The doctors’ answers:
Why Do Antibiotics Lead to Candida Overgrowth?
Short answer:
The short answer is that any time you alter the microbiome – gut, vaginal, skin – by giving antibiotics SOMETHING not killed by the antibiotics will grow to take up the now free space and food supply.
Candida is a yeast. Yeasts have an entirely different metabolism to bacteria, so antibiotics that target bacteria do not kill yeasts. The opposite also applies. Antibiotics that target yeasts do not kill bacteria.
Long answer:
So, the longer answer…
We are all covered in bacteria and, to a lesser extent viruses, yeasts (like candida) and fungi.
Most of the time, the skin microbiome lives in harmony with itself and with us.
Looking at the vagina specifically, the hormone estrogen both thickens the vaginal lining and causes the production of mucus. This mucus is an excellent food for Lactobacilli, so, in most pre-menopausal women, we find the vagina it well populated with Lactobacilli.
These lactobacilli take up space, and in so doing “out compete” Candida yeast by denying it space to grow and food to eat.
Now let’s add some antibiotics. Almost all of these will kill Lactobacilli. As a result Candida can now grow as it has both the space and the food. This causes vaginal thrush.
We see exactly the same sort of thing in a garden. If you remove all the plants from an area of dirt it won’t be long before weeds spring up. If you plant ground cover plants, they will compete with the weeds to prevent them growing.
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