Re: GLUCOSAMINE: Friend or Foe to Candida? Here's the real deal.

Thank you for the reference. Great read. I believe we are both talking about the same acetylglucosamine, though I am not a chemist/nutritionist. The abbreviation is the same with and without the "D" (GlcNAc/NAG). I confirmed at Wikipedia they are the same thing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N-Acetylglucosamine

Many names for the same substance is common with this stuff, which makes it all even more confusing. Especially true when you can't casually assume similar sounding names are the same -this is a perfect example.

That said, this means that our sources are directly conflicting on whether acetylglucosamine is a smart idea for candida sufferers. However, the findings actually exist in harmony. It may well be true that acetylglucosamine prevents candida from adhering to cell walls, AND promotes bifidobacteria. However, there is nothing saying in the writeup you reference that it doesn't also feed candida as well! Their study may truly have found it to have these effects, without witnessing that candida use it as food even if it does prevent them from sticking.

This study, albiet old, found acetylglucosamine to promote candida growth and switching to its bad hyphal form, AND glucosamine sulfate to inhibit candida growth. I recommend sticking to non-shellfish, glucosamine sulfate until a new study is found or conducted that contests it.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC279287/

I don't want to sound confrontational, but I feel it's important to point out these critical findings. I strongly believe based on research that acetylglucosamine is not a good idea, even if some studies show it to be somewhat anti-candida. If it feeds bifidobacteria and candida at the same time, it's something like inulin/FOS that happens to keep it from sticking. Not a net gain in my opinion.

EDIT: I made a mistake and suggested that the form I'm going with, glucosamine sulfate, does not come from shellfish. Although I still recommend this type, it can in fact come from shellfish sources as well so check carefully should you have a shellfish allergy. Tweet