What’s The Spookiest Thing About Spooky Season?

… It’s the amount of sugar kids eat on Halloween!

Sugar, especially fructose (like in high fructose corn syrup) can negatively affect the immune system response to viruses and bacteria. 

Sugar triggers low-grade inflammation in the body which can weaken the immune system, making it susceptible to viruses and bacteria, and can also contribute to chronic diseases, heart disease, and diabetes.

Just 75 grams of sugar can begin negatively affecting your immune system. 75 grams sounds like a lot, but it’s only 2 cans of soda, and a Grande chai latte from Starbucks comes in at 42 grams of sugar – more than halfway there. Keep in mind, the American Heart Association recommends not consuming more than 25 grams (6 teaspoons) of added sugar per day.

Board-certified internist and gastroenterologist Niket Sonpal says “suppression of the immune system starts as soon as 30 minutes after the consumption of sugar and can last up to five hours.”

While overdoing it on added sugar once in a while isn’t likely going to cause long-term problems, most people are overdoing it on added sugar every day which certainly does add up.

Take this as a sign to check in on your sugar intake and think about your Halloween plans.

 As we enter cold and flu season with more time spent indoors around more people and more easily-spread germs, it’s worth taking note of our sugar intake as well as doing other things – like eating a well-rounded, whole food diet – to give our immune systems their best fighting chance.