The Effects of Sugar on Your Immune System
Do you know how dangerous sugar is to your immune system?
Just admit it. That cupcake in the window looks oh so delicious. There it is, chocked full of chocolate, slathered with icing and topped with sprinkles that give it a colorful flair. Oh to indulge your taste buds with sugary delight. Few things in the world seem as beautiful and tasty as that cupcake at this moment. But what if you found out that cupcake would give you a common cold? Still not deterred? How about pneumonia? Or cancer? Actually that cupcake may be one of the most dangerous things you could eat because it’s loaded with a dangerous legal substance which continues to lead to the downfall of health of people across the world. That ingredient? Sugar.
Mary Poppins may have been right when she sang a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down, but what she didn’t tell you was how much that sugar may hurt you. The effects of sugar on your dental health are well-documented, but are you aware of the laundry list of other lingering effects sugar exercises over your body? Hypoglycemia, coronary heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, depression and hypertension. These are just a few of many, many problems sugar either causes or increases risk of.
Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of excessive sugar intake is the toll it takes upon your immune system. Because glucose is the primary source of energy for every cell in your body, a good blood-sugar level must be maintained for good health. However, when you begin to introduce excessive amounts of sugar into your diet your pancreas reacts by producing increasing amounts of insulin to help lower blood-sugar levels. Not only are the fluctuating sugar levels extremely stressful upon your body, the increased production of insulin inhibits the release of growth hormones. This suppresses your immune system.
Your immune system works to protect your body against disease by identifying and killing harmful bacteria before it has the chance to infect your body. However, because sugar weakens your immune system, the likelihood of fighting off even common forms of bacteria is inhibited. This is often a slow-building process that will affect you more and more as you age. Every disease begins on the cellular level and in all likelihood insulin plays a hand in its development. Sugars lack any minerals or vitamins and therefore need to draw upon the body’s nutrient storage to metabolize. This process taxes your body and immune system and damages your body’s ability to fight off harmful bacteria.
The effects of sugar are dangerous and far-reaching to the human body. Beyond diseases such as diabetes that can directly result from excessive sugar intake, sugar further inhibits your body from fighting off other bacteria that could cause other diseases or illnesses detrimental to your health. Furthermore, sugar causes your body to work harder than normal and has a deteriorating affect upon your system. Next time you begin to eye that cupcake through the glass and covet its delicious sweetness, remind yourself of the eventual sickness which may result from every little bite.
Photo by Mirvettium
