When COVID-19 first broke in March 2020, doctors observed that most of the patients placed on ventilators had underlying conditions related to obesity or diabetes. This left a puzzle for some experts who noted that people with diabetes or weight problems struggled more with fighting off the virus infection.
Dr. Heather Moday, an allergist and immunologist, pointed out that what people eat matters to the immune system. However, after months of studies, it has become clearer to the experts that the worst food ingredient to indulge in, especially in COVID-19, is sugar.
How Sugar Wrecks the Immune System
Moday said that consuming too much sugar can quickly start the "vicious cycle of insulin resistance and obesity," which causes the inflammation of the cytokines. This inflammation damages the blood vessels, activating the immune system to heal and repair the body.
But if the body constantly activates for repairs, it causes a "major distraction" in the immune system. This makes it easier for viruses like COVID-19 to slip through the natural defenses.
Dr. Rodica Pop-Busui of a Michigan medicine team who did a study on diabetes and COVID-19 said that inflammation caused by too much sugar triggers an "abnormal immune response" that leads the body to attack not just the virus but also the healthy cells and tissues. This contributes to the rapid deterioration of a person's health.
In COVID-19 patients, high blood sugar translates to complications, prolonged stay in the hospital, and morbidity for some. Thus, Moday said everyone should be conscious of scaling back on eating foods rich in sugar to ensure that the body's immune system is always in top form to fight a virus. She said that many people tend to forget that sugar is not just found in pastries, cakes, cookies, or candy bars as food like rice, pasta, bread, and cereals are also high in sugar content.
How to Maintain a Healthy Blood Sugar
Aside from cutting sugar intake, it would help to read the labels on grocery items to check for added sugars. The U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommends managing good sugar levels by drinking more water instead of soda or juices, getting more sleep, ditching alcoholic drinks, and eating during regular meal times. Food portions must also be controlled by filling the plate with green and leafy vegetables, a quarter of lean meat, and a quarter of grainy or starchy food.
A diet full of fiber is also a good antidote for a diet full of sugar. Moday said that fiber helps with the digestion and absorption of sugar in the bloodstream, which controls any sugar spikes.
Lastly, the expert said to find an app for tracking and monitoring sugar intake, especially for patients diagnosed with diabetes, who are pre-diabetes, or who have this disease in their family history. According to the American Heart Foundation, a person's average daily sugar intake should not exceed 25 grams or six teaspoons of sugar for women and 36 grams or nine teaspoons of sugar for men.
