How sugar causes inflammation

Last Updated on November 29, 2023 by Cathy

To stop the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) it’s important to eat an anti-inflammatory. But, did you know that sugar causes inflammation? That’s why it’s also important to limit your sugar intake to stabilize your blood sugar – even natural sugars.

That’s usually something you hear a doctor telling a diabetic patient. But, it’s also an important factor for everyone. People on the standard American diet eat way too much sugar and carbohydrates. And it shows obesity, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. 

Carbohydrates or carbs give your body energy they also break down into sugar. Carbs are good for you but when people eat too many carbs it raises their blood sugar to unhealthy levels. 

Get a FREE carbohydrate tracker at the bottom of this post.

Insulin is a hormone that the pancreas makes to absorb glucose (sugar). It helps to keep blood sugar levels normal. When a person eats a high-carb diet the pancreas is constantly producing insulin. Eventually, it can no longer keep up with the demand, and the blood sugar levels become too high.

This is called insulin resistance or pre-diabetes which can lead to type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is different. It is not caused by eating too many carbs, it’s an autoimmune disease and usually strikes children. My son is a type 1 diabetic so he needs to take insulin to live.

Unlike type 2 diabetes, his pancreas has completely stopped working. It doesn’t produce insulin to help control blood sugar levels. Every time he eats he needs to figure out how many carbs he’s eating.

Then he knows how much insulin to give his body to keep his blood sugar from rising too high. – Diabetics use injections or an insulin pump to get the insulin in their body. Without insulin, a diabetic falls into ketoacidosis which is fatal without medical intervention.

Healing Your Body

In order for your body to heal, the first step is to eat an anti-inflammatory diet. Sugar obviously raises your blood sugar and so do carbs. You should limit the number of natural sugars and high-carbohydrate foods. Foods such as sweet potatoes, bananas, and beets are high in carbs.

Blood sugar imbalances also irritate the gut lining causing a leaky gut. A leaky gut is when the gut lining begins to open allowing toxins to pass through. It also creates food sensitivities and nutrient deficiencies.

Cortisol

Cortisol is our fight-or-flight hormone. During times of a threat like stress, the adrenal glands release cortisol to give us more energy. It also helps to control blood sugar levels, and sleep patterns and reduces inflammation. It even affects the brain.

When you’re constantly stressed your cortisol levels don’t have a chance to go back to normal. When cortisol levels are always high it can shut down the immune system. High levels also affect bone growth and muscle growth.

Constant high levels of stress can lead to adrenal fatigue. Stress was always a problem for me so when I had my cortisol level tested I was expecting it to be high. Instead, it was low because my adrenal glands wore out and weren’t working properly.

Multiple Sclerosis and Sugar

When you have an autoimmune disease like MS there’s a really good chance that you also have some kind of infection. Such as bacterial or yeast overgrowth, parasites, or mycotoxins. These infections feed on sugar (carbs), that is why it’s best not to eat a high-carb diet – to stop feeding the infections.

Recently headlines claimed the drug Metformin may slow, stop and even reverse MS. Many MS patients got excited and were wanting the drug. However, Metformin is a prescription-only drug. It’s very unlikely a doctor will give someone a prescription only because they asked for it.

It’s better to understand why it works. Metformin is for people with type 2 diabetes to help control their blood sugar. By not eating excessive amounts of sugar or carbs also controls a person’s blood sugar.

So why is Metformin helping people with MS? Researchers aren’t really sure and are doing more research. But… could it be because it’s helping to manage blood sugar by not feeding the infections? If you’re looking for something similar to Metformin to help control your blood sugar you’re in luck. Berberine works just as well as Metformin. Plus, it’s come from plants instead of synthetic chemicals.

My functional medicine doctor recommended that I take one capsule before each meal. I use a high-quality supplement by Thorne Research. It helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels and it provides cardiovascular support.

Lowering Blood Sugar Naturally

There are many natural ways to lower blood sugar levels. First is by paying attention to how many carbs you eat in one day. You can keep track of this on a piece of paper or by using an app on your smartphone. There’s a free carbohydrate tracker at the bottom of this post.

Increase your fiber, fiber slows down sugar absorption and carb digestion. It helps from getting sugar spikes which then create a sugar crash. The recommended daily intake is about 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men.

Cinnamon also helps to maintain blood sugar levels. It slows the breakdown of carbs in the digestive tract. I like to add cinnamon to practically everything I eat. Such as meats, vegetables, and smoothies. I like to use Simply Organic Cinnamon.

Testing Your Blood Sugar Levels

You can use a glucose meter to measure your blood sugar. First, need to buy a glucose meter, Walmart sells meters at reasonable prices. You also need to buy test strips, these are more expensive. I like to look at the price of the test strips first before choosing a meter. Because meters need certain types of test strips.

Get a FREE carbohydrate tracker at the bottom of this post.

Unfortunately, you do have to poke your figure with a needle to draw blood. My son had me try it and it hurts so it’s not my recommendation. I prefer getting a hemoglobin A1C blood test. It checks the average blood sugar levels from the previous three months. 

You can use online labs like Walk-in Lab or Health Testing Centers. Dr. Terry Wahls, author of The Wahls Protocol recommends 5.2 mmol or lower.

• 6.5 mmol or higher = diabetes
• 5.7-6.4 mmol = pre-diabetes
• 5.6 or lower mmol = normal

Breaking Your Sugar Habit

Sugar is extremely addictive and it’s hard to break. I wasn’t much into eating sweets but I loved eating foods that were higher in carbs. It was extremely hard for me to stop eating a lot of carbs.

I did it by keeping track of how many carbs I ate each day then the next day I would eat a little less. I had to be careful because I’m already on the thin side and I didn’t want to lose too much weight.

By increasing my healthy fats I was able to keep my weight on and keep from feeling hungry. Now, I find an eight-ounce glass of carrot juice to be really sweet. – It’s funny how that happens. Cutting back on sugar can be hard but it is possible. The longer you go the easier it becomes. Plus, it helps to remove inflammation and it improves your health. 

Carbohydrate Tracking Log

Get the password for the library many printables including the Carbohydrate Tracker here by filling out this form:

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