Sugar Is Sickening

You already know that sugar can make you fat, but do you realize that it may also make you sick—or at least more susceptible to illness?

According to the January ’13 Bottom Line Health, “Sugars in sweets and sweet beverages (including fruit juices) diminish the ability of the lymphocytes to fight off viruses.”

In fact, after a sugar surge your pancreas secretes insulin and your immune system remains in a depressed state for more than five hours. One theory is that elevated blood sugar “prevents vitamin C from attaching to and entering white blood cells, which makes the immune system less effective.”

—Butch Lebowitz