So you have your vitamin C, there's extra veggies on the table, washing hands with soap and water (minimizing use of antibacterial soap/sanitizers to only when necessary), making sure everyone gets a good nights sleep, getting outside for some all natural feel good therapy and vitamin D boost, BUT... despite all of your best efforts, someone has a scratchy throat, or started with a cough and runny nose, MAYBE IT'S JUST IMPOSSIBLE TO NOT GET SICK! That's just life right?! NOPE!!! Today's topic covers a major player in how your immune system functions and it is one of America's favorite ingredients...Sugar. Wait, wait, wait, stick with me. Yes, I know you love your desserts, me too! I am a recovering sugar addict. I figure I will have control of my addiction about the time I am dead. So I am right there with you on this one. It's what I call an avalanche food, I can steer clear of it, but once I let the deliciousness hit my taste buds all resolve is gone. I am here to tell you, you are stronger than your cravings. Remember when I told you that the bugs in your gut can control your cravings? And punish you if don't give them what they want to flourish, as in produce toxins that can harm your small intestine? Mmmhmm, they do love themselves some sugar. It feeds all the wrong bacteria and yeast that you do not want to be major players in your microbiome. As a matter of fact it is generally recognized in scientific and medical communities that "sugar is a toxin of the highest rank, the sweetest poison of them all and lethal in many ways." (1) And as we all now know, our microbiome is our 1st line of immune defense and 70 - 75% of our immune system. Now, I could give you a list of all the harm that sugar does, from heart disease, to diabetes, to skin issues, fat storage, insulin resistance, increased risk of cancer, but most likely you have heard all of that before. Instead I want to focus in on the science of just how sugar impacts your immune system. As in if you are a typical consumer of sugar, eating the Standardized American Diet (SAD for short, ironic?) Then according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture you are consuming 66 pounds of sugar a year. Yep, 66 pounds, and if you consume artificial sweeteners you are not off the hook. Check this link if you want to know the devastating effect that they have on your body. https://draxe.com/artificial-sweeteners/
Ok, back to the immune system. I mentioned briefly in the Vitamin C post that it competes with glucose to attach to your white blood cells in order for them to function. So I am going to geek out on some science in what I hope in an easy to understand way, so you can fully grasp the effect it literally has on your body.
Your white blood cells (WBC) coordinate with multiple other cells specifically to formulate an immune response. Their primary role is to literally ingest (or phagocytize) pathogenic bacteria or viruses in order to neutralize them. WBC have a specialized shunt inside of them called an HMP shunt that creates the necessary superoxides that destroy the pathogen. This pump is turned on by ascorbic acid but shut off by glucose. Every WBC has more insulin pump receptors than any other cell in your body which uptake both vitamin C and glucose (the form any type of sugar is converted into in your body to be used). (2) Typically your WBC should contain 20 times more vitamin C than any other cell in your body at any time, but needs up to 50 times more vitamin C when encountering the stress of fighting the pathogenic substance that is making you feel ill. Which is why having an excellent Vitamin C supplement on hand can easily help keep you from getting sick or drastically shorten the length or severity of an illness. However, because insulin pumps are also well known to be glucose receptors, and actually prefer glucose to Vitamin C in their uptake, if you have even a slightly heightened blood sugar level your immune system is compromised by 75% percent! (3) At that point all the Vitamin C you can ingest cannot counter balance the glucose. The glucose levels must be dropped in order for there to be a proper uptake of Vitamin C to allow your immune system to function. So what is a daily recommended amount of sugar by the American Heart Association? Children: three teaspoons or 12 grams Women: 100 calories per day of sugar (six teaspoons or 24 grams) Men: 150 calories per day for men (or about nine teaspoons or 36 grams) To put that in perspective one serving of fruit loops at 3.75 grams of sugar puts your kids over their sugar limit for the day. An eight-ounce glass of orange juice has 5.5 teaspoons of sugar. That’s equal to over 20 grams. And why you want to eat your fruit; not drink it. (4) The fiber in fruit slows the uptake of the fructose keeping your blood sugar from spiking. So my challenge to you is to do some label reading for what you and your kids are consuming. Instead of fruit snacks or fruit drinks, eat fruit! We know now the promise of 100% DV of Vit C doesn't mean much when we look at the grams of sugar per serving. Carbohydrates like pretzels and chips will also spike blood sugar levels as well. So on a day to day basis do your best to keep sugary treats to a minimum. And when you feel like you may be coming down with something do your very best to eliminate all processed sugars and boost veggie intake along with Vitamin C rich fruits in their whole food forms. Then get a good night of sleep!
1. Eat Dirt Axe, Dr. J, 2016 p. 82 2. https://healthyliving.azcentral.com/where-does-glucose-come… 3. https://drjockers.com/increase-vitamin-c-levels 4. https://draxe.com/how-many-grams-of-sugar-per-day/So you have your vitamin C, there's extra veggies on the table, washing hands with soap and water (minimizing use of antibacterial soap/sanitizers to only when necessary), making sure everyone gets a good nights sleep, getting outside for some all natural feel good therapy and vitamin D boost, BUT... despite all of your best efforts, someone has a scratchy throat, or started with a cough and runny nose, MAYBE IT'S JUST IMPOSSIBLE TO NOT GET SICK! That's just life right?! NOPE!!! Today's topic covers a major player in how your immune system functions and it is one of America's favorite ingredients...Sugar. Wait, wait, wait, stick with me. Yes, I know you love your desserts, me too! I am a recovering sugar addict. I figure I will have control of my addiction about the time I am dead. So I am right there with you on this one. It's what I call an avalanche food, I can steer clear of it, but once I let the deliciousness hit my taste buds all resolve is gone. I am here to tell you, you are stronger than your cravings. Remember when I told you that the bugs in your gut can control your cravings? And punish you if don't give them what they want to flourish, as in produce toxins that can harm your small intestine? Mmmhmm, they do love themselves some sugar. It feeds all the wrong bacteria and yeast that you do not want to be major players in your microbiome. As a matter of fact it is generally recognized in scientific and medical communities that "sugar is a toxin of the highest rank, the sweetest poison of them all and lethal in many ways." (1) And as we all now know, our microbiome is our 1st line of immune defense and 70 - 75% of our immune system. Now, I could give you a list of all the harm that sugar does, from heart disease, to diabetes, to skin issues, fat storage, insulin resistance, increased risk of cancer, but most likely you have heard all of that before. Instead I want to focus in on the science of just how sugar impacts your immune system. As in if you are a typical consumer of sugar, eating the Standardized American Diet (SAD for short, ironic?) Then according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture you are consuming 66 pounds of sugar a year. Yep, 66 pounds, and if you consume artificial sweeteners you are not off the hook. Check this link if you want to know the devastating effect that they have on your body. https://draxe.com/artificial-sweeteners/ Ok, back to the immune system. I mentioned briefly in the Vitamin C post that it competes with glucose to attach to your white blood cells in order for them to function. So I am going to geek out on some science in what I hope in an easy to understand way, so you can fully grasp the effect it literally has on your body. Your white blood cells (WBC) coordinate with multiple other cells specifically to formulate an immune response. Their primary role is to literally ingest (or phagocytize) pathogenic bacteria or viruses in order to neutralize them. WBC have a specialized shunt inside of them called an HMP shunt that creates the necessary superoxides that destroy the pathogen. This pump is turned on by ascorbic acid but shut off by glucose. Every WBC has more insulin pump receptors than any other cell in your body which uptake both vitamin C and glucose (the form any type of sugar is converted into in your body to be used). (2) Typically your WBC should contain 20 times more vitamin C than any other cell in your body at any time, but needs up to 50 times more vitamin C when encountering the stress of fighting the pathogenic substance that is making you feel ill. Which is why having an excellent Vitamin C supplement on hand can easily help keep you from getting sick or drastically shorten the length or severity of an illness. However, because insulin pumps are also well known to be glucose receptors, and actually prefer glucose to Vitamin C in their uptake, if you have even a slightly heightened blood sugar level your immune system is compromised by 75% percent! (3) At that point all the Vitamin C you can ingest cannot counter balance the glucose. The glucose levels must be dropped in order for there to be a proper uptake of Vitamin C to allow your immune system to function. So what is a daily recommended amount of sugar by the American Heart Association? Children: three teaspoons or 12 grams Women: 100 calories per day of sugar (six teaspoons or 24 grams) Men: 150 calories per day for men (or about nine teaspoons or 36 grams) To put that in perspective one serving of fruit loops at 3.75 grams of sugar puts your kids over their sugar limit for the day. An eight-ounce glass of orange juice has 5.5 teaspoons of sugar. That’s equal to over 20 grams. And why you want to eat your fruit; not drink it. (4) The fiber in fruit slows the uptake of the fructose keeping your blood sugar from spiking. So my challenge to you is to do some label reading for what you and your kids are consuming.
Instead of fruit snacks or fruit drinks, eat fruit! We know now the promise of 100% DV of Vit C doesn't mean much when we look at the grams of sugar per serving. Carbohydrates like pretzels and chips will also spike blood sugar levels as well. So on a day to day basis do your best to keep sugary treats to a minimum. And when you feel like you may be coming down with something do your very best to eliminate all processed sugars and boost veggie intake along with Vitamin C rich fruits in their whole food forms. Then get a good night of sleep!
1. Eat Dirt Axe, Dr. J, 2016 p. 82 2. https://healthyliving.azcentral.com/where-does-glucose-come… 3. https://drjockers.com/increase-vitamin-c-levels 4. https://draxe.com/how-many-grams-of-sugar-pevitamin