A much- requested post so I am going to split it into two. #Sugar might be the nutritional demon du jour but there is a lot more to the story.

Now I don’t know about you but I don’t know anyone who eats just sugar. Generally, we eat food & this is your first clue: diet is the sum of its parts. If I eat a tablespoon of white sugar right now is it bad for me? Will it harm my immune system? Without looking in context of my overall diet, it would be impossible to say.⠀

Sugar comes to us not just by way of what we traditionally think of as white table sugar, but from any starchy carbohydrate food which gets broken down into simple sugar molecules in our digestive tracts. This is the second critical point: carbohydrates, like other macronutrients, cannot simply be classified as good or bad despite whatever fad diet comes about: context matters.

The idea that sugar can weaken the immune system came about several decades ago when studies showed that neutrophils (a type of immune cell) in test tubes were less good at doing their job in the 5hours after a person had eaten sugary foods. But this hasn't been replicated with direct scientific evidence to suggest that consuming sugar will directly weaken your immune system. Because context matters & (to reiterate) diet is the sum of its parts.

BUT sugary foods ARE easy to eat, hitting that bliss point, making them easy to overconsume. We do know that consistently eating TOO MUCH can adversely impact immune function.

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Sugary foods also tend to be LOW IN fiber & phytonutrients (a broad name for a wide variety of compounds produced by plants. Like:antioxidants, flavonoids, phytochemicals, flavones, isoflavones, catechins, anthocyanidins, isothiocyanates, carotenoids, allyl sulfides, polyphenols), which are key to nourishing your immune system & keeping it functioning well for the long game. Too many sugary foods can crowd out the good stuff.

Emerging research into the microbiota that support your immune system also hints that eating too much sugar, in lieu of healthier foods, might have a negative impact on immunity.⠀⠀⠀⠀

But you know this is not the end of the story. More to come in my next post. Let us know any questions you have in the comments below!