Sugar and the Immune System

Day 120

I feel like I'm coming down with something. It's really not surprising. I ate sugar.

That's what happens when I eat too much sugar.

I get sick.

I should know this by now.

But I still do it anyways.

I know I get sick when I eat too much sugar and I knew there was probably a scientific explanation of why that happens, but I didn't really know what that is, so I looked it up. Here's what I found, in case you're interested:

Dr. Linus Pauling - a famous microbiologist - found that sugar inhibits the immune system. Within our blood stream, we have a kind of white blood cell called a phagocyte. These cells basically eat and absorb harmful invaders, such as viruses, bacteria, foreign material, etc.

In order for our cells to do this, they need a constant supply of vitamin C, which is found in the blood stream surrounding them. Unfortunately, glucose and vitamin C have a similar chemical structure, so when we've eaten sugar, our cells try to pull in the vitamin C and get glucose instead, inhibiting their absorption of the invader by up to 75%. These effects can last 4-6 hours. (You can imagine what can happen when you're eating sugar all day like I did on Monday.)

So, to stay healthy, take vitamin C and avoid sugar - and that includes vitamin C rich orange juice, which has a ton of sugar.

Here's some sites and studies that helped explain it to me, if you're interested:
http://alternativehealthatlanta.com/immune-system/sugar-and-your-immune-system/
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/26/11/1180.abstract
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/about/linus-pauling-biography