Research clearly shows that ingesting large amounts of sugar results in a significant decrease in the ability of the immune system to engulf bacteria. This effect occurs rapidly after eating sugar and lasts for several hours afterward. If you eat sugary foods several times per day, you’re keeping your immune system in a depressed state almost constantly!
A high-sugar diet destroys the intestinal flora — the beneficial bacteria that are crucial to digestion and the immune system’s proper functioning. Transitioning to a low-sugar, high-vegetable diet and using a probiotic supplement can help reestablish the intestinal flora and restore your immune system back to normal function. Two common results of faulty immune system function are detailed here.
Yeast infections
Vaginal yeast infections are usually caused by an overgrowth of Candida albicans, a fungus normally found in only tiny amounts in dark, damp nooks and crannies of the body. Your immune system usually keeps the amount of Candida in check, but when your immune system is compromised, overgrowths aren’t uncommon.
Ingesting sugar lowers your immune response almost immediately. A high-sugar diet also reduces the amount of beneficial bacteria in the intestines (as does antibiotic use), further weakening the immune system.
Yeast feeds on sugar, and it grows best in an acidic environment. A high-sugar diet gives it both!
Autoimmune disorders
Your body is under a constant barrage of attacks from not only bacteria and viruses but also pollution, pesticides, radiation, chemicals, carcinogens, metal poisoning, and other exposures both seen and unseen. Your immune system is strongly affected by your diet, your lifestyle, your environment, and your stress level.
One of the theories of the genesis of autoimmune diseases is that, over time, chronic stress and poor diet cause cells to become less efficient at eliminating waste products and toxins. Eventually, these waste products and toxins incorporate themselves into your cell membranes, causing your immune system to identify such cells as being damaged or foreign. At that point, your immune system tags these diseased cells with antibodies and starts attacking them.
High blood-sugar levels damage your body’s tissues and trigger an inflammatory response. Chronic inflammation is the hallmark of autoimmune disorders because it keeps the immune system on overdrive.
In addition to causing inflammation, overconsumption of sugar (especially fructose) causes overgrowth of bacteria and yeast in the large intestine, which keeps the immune system on overdrive in an attempt to quell the continuous infestation.