Sugar the Sweet Deception
Nutritionally based doctors have known for a long time that sugar can adversely affect health. Medical researchers know it plays a role in diabetes and obesity, and even speeds the rate of cancer growth. But did you know it actually could suppress the immune system? Sugar, that wonderfully delicious substance, can do so much to harm our health.
As we enter the flu season I question whether it really is more accurately described as the sugar season. The fall flu season gets a roaring sendoff with Halloween and the pounds of sugar consumed by children and adults. Just about the time the Halloween sugar buzz is over comes Thanksgiving followed by the next four weeks devoted to Christmas cookies and treats. The next sugar holiday is Valentines with Easter thereafter.
Just how much sugar do we consume?
Annual per capita sugar consumption (USDA Statistics)
- 10 pounds per person per year in 1821
- 120 pounds per person per year in 1970
- 150 pounds per person per year in 1994
- 170 pounds per person per year in 1997
It follows that consumers of sugar spend increasing amounts to acquire it. According to the April 2003 Financial Times, two billion dollars would be spent on Easter candy that spring.
By ‘sugar’ I do not mean just the white, granulated stuff we serve from a bowl on the table; this is sucrose. The term sugar applies to glucose, fructose (fruit sugar), maltose (grain sugar), and honey (a mixture of glucose, fructose, sucrose and dextrin).
One of the primary concerns over the high sugar level in modern diets is mainly its contribution to malnutrition by replacing more essential nutrients. Although that is reason for concern, there is more to the story.
Infectious disease, namely disease caused by viruses and bacteria, were the biggest killers in the early twentieth century. These were primarily eliminated by better sanitation, housing, and clean water supplies. Antibiotics, the 1960s “miracle drug”, were given prophylactically in hopes of conquering infectious diseases. But over the last half of the twentieth century, we have seen an increase in previously “conquered” diseases, such as tuberculosis, meningitis, influenza and even the common cold.
In the constant fight against outside invading organisms, our bodies have a highly sophisticated and effective defense mechanism - our immune system. A major portion of this system is a type of the white blood cell called neutrophils, which circulate in the blood stream and mop up any bacteria or other foreign bodies they encounter. This process is called phagocytosis (f`agga si tosis). While phagocytosis is an energy-requiring mechanism needing an adequate supply of the blood sugar, glucose, or too much glucose, has a significant inhibiting effect on neutrophils’ ability to ingest and kill off invading bacteria. (1) (2) (3)
The measure of how many organisms one leukocyte can eat in an hour is called the leukocytic index (LI). It is a simple measure: If a leukocyte eats 10 organisms in an hour, its leukocytic index is 10.
When the LI is high, less bacteria/virus are available to potentially lead to active infection. Conversely, when the LI is low, more unfriendly micro-organisms mean greater chances for an individual to become sick. It can be detrimental to our health, therefore, if neutrophil activity is compromised. But this is exactly what happens when too much carbohydrate, and too much sugar in particular, is consumed.
Test results
In a 1973 study, following an overnight fast, phagocytic activity and leukocytic index (LI) were recorded in a group of subjects, who then consumed 100 grams of a specific carbohydrate (a sugar or starch). Results show that all forms of carbohydrate - starch as well as sugars - reduced the neutrophils’ effectiveness to destroy bacteria and other micro-organisms. (2)
This study was confirmed in 1976 by Ringsdorf, et al. (3) They tested the effect of sugar (sucrose) by giving their subjects 24 ounces of sugar sweetened cola. In this test the leukocytic index of all their subjects was reduced by 50%. In other words, the ability of their disease-fighting blood cells was reduced by half.
With fall’s cooler temps, consumers are reminded by the media to be diligent to wash their hands and avoid contact with people and inanimate objects to avoid catching the inevitable “bugs”. I question whether “bugs” are lurking about to take advantage of poor, unsuspecting individuals who failed to adequately wash their hands.
Rather, I challenge the reader to consider that by over consumption of sugar, we have suppressed our immune systems so that they cannot adequately defend against invading organisms. The next time you want to give your immune system a boost and reduce your chances of experiencing cold or flu, avoid the sweets.
Dr. Gregory Peterson, DC, DABCI, FIAMA, FIACA, CCST
Founded the Center for Natural Medicine in Winona, MN.
- Cohn ZA, Morse SI. Functional and metabolic properties of polymorphonuclear leucocytes. 1. Observations on the requirements and consequences of particle ingestion. J Exptl Med 1960; 111: 667
- Sanchez A, et al. Role of sugars in human neutrophilic phagocytosis. Am J Clin Nutr 1973; 26: 1180-84
- Ringsdorf WM jr, Cheraskin E and Ramsey RR jr. Sucrose, Neutrophilic Phagocytosis, and Resistance to Disease. Dent Surv 1976; 52 (12): 46-48
- Ely, John T. A., “Glycemic Modulation of Tumor Tolerance”, The Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine 1996; Vol 11(1): 23-34.
