Lactobacillus Crispatus

Food source: Sourdough breads, fermented foods like miso, kimchi and sauerkraut. Often added to yoghurts and other dairy products.

Benefits of Lactobacillus Crispatus

• Vaginal health
• UTI prevention

What is Lactobacillus Crispatus? 

Living in our guts are thousands of species of bacteria, called the ‘gut microbiome’, which is crucial to our health for several reasons. One of these is the ‘gut-vagina’ axis, the complex communication and feedback system between the gut microbiome (also called 'gut flora') and the vaginal microbiome, which influences vaginal health and overall health and wellbeing. The ‘good’ bacteria in these microbiomes are called ‘probiotics’ and one of the most significant probiotics is the Lactobacillus strain. 

Lactobacillus crispatus is one of these probiotics in the vaginal microbiome, where it plays an important role in maintaining vaginal health. The vagina has a more acidic pH than the rest of the body (3.8-4.5 compared to 7.4) which helps to prevent harmful bacteria, normally from the gut microbiome, from taking hold in the vagina. However, when the pH level becomes less acidic, these bacteria such as E.coli and G.vaginalis can proliferate, causing problems such as UTIs, yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis (the most common vaginal infection).

This is where L.crispatus comes in, helping to suppress the infection of harmful bacteria and has been shown to specifically inhibit the growth of E.coli, which attaches itself to the interior surface of the urinary tract and bladder and is the most common cause of UTI’s. L.crispatus also produces Lactic Acid, helping to maintain the vagina’s natural acidity and prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. Studies have also found that L.crispatus can significantly reduce the rate of bacterial vaginosis occurring.

It’s important to remember that probiotics like L.crispatus require fibrous prebiotics as their food, so we need to consume these in our diet for them to maximise the health benefits of probiotics. One of the most important of these is Inulin, which can be found in a range of fruit and vegetables.

Discover ‘What is vaginal atrophy?’.