Sugar Overwhelms the Pancreas and Endocrine System

A frequently overlooked cause of immune problems such as allergy is sugar consumption. For our purposes, the term sugar refers to three main types of food-derived simple carbohydrates: glucose, found in some fruits, such as grapes; fructose, found in most fruits, fruit juices, honey, and some vegetables; and sucrose, found in sugar cane, sugar beets, maple syrup, molasses, sorghum, and pineapple (white table sugar is a sucrose). Glucose and sucrose are monosaccharides, the simplest carbohydrates in terms of molecular structure and the basic unit of energy for the body; fructose molecules are disaccharides, two monosaccharides hooked together, and need to be broken down by special digestive enzymes into glucose. Refined white flour products (bread, cookies, cakes) and potatoes are not simple sugars per se, but they have a high glycemic index, meaning that they are quickly converted to glucose.

The average American consumes about 134 pounds of sugar per year; that's one pound of sugar per year; that's one pound every three days. When you eat a carbohydrate, it is converted to glucose, which then enters the bloodstream. The pancreas gland then releases the hormone insulin to match the level of glucose. The insulin reduces the levels of circulating sugar by helping transfer it into the body's cells, where it is broken down and used as a fuel.

However, insulin is also required to transport vitamin C, a key antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, into the body's cells. Studies indicate that sugar takes precedence over vitamin C in securing the use of available insulin. This results in a quick, and progressively more severe, impairment of phagocytes, white blood cells that engulf and immobilize antigens until other antibodies arrive to destroy the invaders. In one study, eating a small amount of sugar (about two cans of soda) sparked a 92% drop in the phagocyte efficiency for up to five hours. Such deregulation of phagocytes may result in hypersensitive reactions by the other white blood cells.

Insulin levels also lead to increased production of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins by inhibiting the absorption of good fats. Insulin alters the metabolism of the essential fatty acids in the direction of shifting towards those which promote inflammation [arachidonic acids] rather than those which suppress it [omega-3 fats]. A whole-foods diet, which avoids sugar, and omega-3 EFA supplementation are effective ways to reverse sugar-related problems.



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