Many people have the belief that glycerin in lubricant (a major ingredient in many of them including several of I-D’s best selling ones), can cause or exacerbate yeast infections. This simply is not true. The popular belief is that yeast feeds on sugar, and that’s what glycerin is. But here’s the truth: Glycerin in and of itself is NOT a sugar but a sugar ALCOHOL and does NOT contain the components that actively feed yeast or other bacteria. Again, it is a sugar alcohol and has the chemical make up similar to both of those.
In fact, according to Wikipedia, Glycerol (or glycerine, glycerin) is a simple polyol compound. It is a colorless, odorless, viscous liquid that is widely used in pharmaceutical formulations. Glycerol has three hydroxyl groups that are responsible for its solubility in water and its hygroscopic nature. The glycerol backbone is central to all lipids known as triglycerides. Glycerol is sweet-tasting and of low toxicity and click on the link here if you want to read a lot of chemical compounding mumbo-jumbo about the actual make up of glycerin and polyols. Ah, chemistry… see, you shouldn’t have slept through it in high school.
Glycerin is constantly being confused with sugar because it has a sweet taste and is used as a sweetener in many different low-carb and dietary foods. During metabolization, which is what the body does to break down food in its digestive system, glycerin can be converted to glucose by the LIVER. However, glycerin cannot be converted to glucose in the vagina. For yeast to thrive they need a sugar such as glucose, NOT an alcohol as glycerin is.
So that’s basically what is going on. DIGESTED glycerin WILL change into a sugar in the body when it’s digested through the system but not when it’s smeared in and around the genitals before and during sexual activity. Glycerin based lube will NOT go through the metabolization process and will NOT turn into that pesky sugar everyone falsely blames on reoccurring yeast infections.
There you have it. According to hard science, glycerin lubricants will NOT cause or add to yeast infections. If anyone can send me proof that glycerin IS a sugar and nothing else, please let me know. Thanks for reading!