Uncontrolled Diabetes
Women are not the only ones who can get a yeast infection. One of the most common causes of yeast infections among men is uncontrolled diabetes. This is because diabetes interferes with the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels, causing them to rise too high. The body responds by creating more insulin, which then attempts to remove sugar from the bloodstream.
However, if there is excess sugar in your blood for insulin to carry away at once, your body will start sending it into other tissues like your skin and the linings of your mouth and genitalia. These tissues are normally very sensitive to sugar and don’t need much. However, when you have a lot of sugar in these areas, they can become inflamed, resulting in an infection that often causes redness, itching, and swelling.
In people with uncontrolled diabetes, the body stops producing enough insulin to properly regulate blood sugar levels. Insulin allows the body to use glucose as energy and prevents cells from absorbing and using glucose in strange ways. When cells absorb and use glucose abnormally, they produce acids, lowering the cells’ pH. An acidic environment is ideal for Candida albicans to grow.
