There has been enough talk in recent times about how harmful refined sugar can be for our health, especially because of the impact it has on chronic diseases such as diabetes , affectations to the cardiovascular system or cancer, however, few speak of how damaging this is to the functioning of the system immune .
It is important to remember how complex the system is immunological , as it reacts both to internal and external stimuli, such as food, where diets rich in vegetables and fruits can help increase the body’s defenses and, while elements such as processed or Does excess sugar generate the opposite effect of foods.
Does sugar work as an immunosuppressant?
Depending on different conditions of the organism , the sugar may or may not act as a in munosuppressant , although it must always be clear that consuming large amounts of sugar can interfere with the balance of the different nutrients in the body, generating some effects, such as inflammation or alterations in metabolism.
Although it cannot always be said that this food is harmful, since many times it depends on whether the body is already infected, either by a virus or by a bacterium, so you cannot make a simple definition of good or bad when talking about the immune system, although if consumed in excess it will certainly be harmful.
Sugar and phagocytes
A way to better understand performance What sugar has in the immune system is knowing the phagocytes, which are cells that have the function of protecting the body by absorbing bacterial waste or small particles that are foreign to the body.
Among the types of phagocytes that exist we can mention the Neutrophils, Macrophages, Monocytes, Mast cells, Dendritic cells
A scientific study carried out with the intention of making an observation of how simple carbohydrates produced a decrease in the phagocytic capacity of neutrophils, by drawing blood after overnight fasting and at intervals of 30 minutes, 1, 2, 3 and 5 hours.
The people selected for the study ingested 100 g of glucose, sucrose, fructose, orange or honey juice, which generated a decrease in the phagocytic index some or two hours later, this means that the immunological effect of the phagocytes was reduced.
This reduction was maintained up to 5 hours after consuming simple carbohydrates.
The food Entation is essential
As we already mentioned, nutrition is one of the pillars that maintains the proper functioning of the immune system , therefore to guarantee good defenses it is essential to maintain a healthy and balanced diet, in which a good amount of natural foods are integrated and fats are avoided, processed foods, large amounts of sugars and.
In the same way, we must adopt healthy habits such as practicing daily exercises, as well as working on mental and emotional balance.