Good eating habits to take care of your vaginal flora
We cannot stress it enough: our diet is our first line of defense. This also applies to vaginal microbiota, which is strongly influenced by diet and alcohol consumption.
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About this article
The vaginal microbiota (or vaginal flora) is in some ways the exception that proves the rule: it thrives when not diverse and is largely dominated by lactobacilli. When these bacteria predominate, they repel pathogenic microbes and with them the risk of vaginal infections such as bacterial vaginosis and vulvovaginal candidiasis.
But how can we make sure these beneficial vaginal lactobacilli predominate? Does our diet play a role? A study 1 on 113 Italian students appears to confirm the impact of good and bad eating habits.
Bad habits to avoid
An increase in animal protein intake (mainly from
(sidenote:
Red meat
All mammalian muscle meat such as beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton, horse, and goat, including that contained in processed foods and in most beefburgers. It does not include poultry or wild game, or offal. However, the definition may vary from country to country: in France, for example, “red meat” refers to beef, lamb, and horse meat, but not to pork or veal, which are considered white meats.
Sources: WHO WHO/IARC CIV (French meat information center)
)
and
(sidenote:
Processed meat
Meat that has been transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processes to enhance flavor or improve preservation.
Most processed meats contain pork or beef, but processed meats may also contain other red meats, poultry, offal, or meat by-products such as blood.
Examples of processed meat include hot dogs (frankfurters), ham, sausages, corned beef, and biltong or beef jerky as well as canned meat and meat-based preparations and sauces.
Source: WHO
)
) goes hand in hand with a vaginal flora imbalance. According to the authors, this kind of diet could increase inflammatory markers or produce toxic compounds that raise vaginal pH, thereby promoting the growth of pathogenic bacteria.
Alcohol consumption also appears to promote vaginal dysbiosis and boost pathogens such as Gardnerella and Atopobium, confirming the results of a French study which found that heavy drinking adversely affects the intimate flora of young women.
What explains this? Does alcohol have a direct effect on our bacteria, “intoxicating” our beneficial lactobacilli? Or does it alter our immune system, opening the door to the proliferation of unwanted bacteria?
Binge drinking leaves gut microbiota of young people with a hangover
A few good habits to cultivate
The good news is that some dietary habits are beneficial to the vaginal flora.
- For example, an increased intake of alpha-linolenic acid, an anti-inflammatory
(sidenote:
Omega-3
A family of essential fatty acids that includes alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is both essential in itself (our body cannot produce it, so it must be obtained from food) and a precursor to other omega-3s.
From ALA, our body can synthesize other omega-3 fatty acids, such as the well-known EPA and DHA.
However, the body’s rate of conversion of ALA to DHA is too low to meet our DHA requirements. Since DHA is also considered essential, it must also be obtained from food.
Source: ANSES
) found in certain plant-based foods (nuts, rapeseed oil, walnut oil, linseed oil, etc.), appears to reduce the risk of vaginal flora dominated by L. iners (a lactobacillus less protective than others) and promote the beneficial L. crispatus. - Plant proteins (from legumes such as lentils, beans, etc.), fiber, and starch appear to keep the pathogen Gardnerella at bay. The authors believe that these nutrients boost the production of vaginal glycogen, the favorite food of lactobacilli, thus promoting their development.
Surprisingly, the Mediterranean diet, rich in vegetables, fruit, legumes, and whole grains, does not seem to change vaginal flora composition.
However, there may simply have been too few true followers of this diet among the students to observe any effect.
Even though the Mediterranean diet does not preserve vaginal balance, it is still very good for our cardiovascular health, for warding off certain diseases (ulcerative colitis, endometriosis, etc.) and for helping us to age well (combating frailty in the elderly, slowing Alzheimer’s disease, reducing mortality, etc.)
