Why Does Sugar Seem To Make My Inflammation Worse?

[firebreather]

Seems like every time I increase my sugar intake inflammation starts getting worse.

For instance my hemorrhoids definitely seem more inflamed and I have this aches in parts of my body.

A few years ago I was having issues with my lower back. I completely cut out sugar (a paleo thing) and the pain left in about a week. I've had that happen a couple times.

 

[thebigpeatowski]

Are you getting lots of B vitamins/potassium/magnesium?

My opinion is that sugar is completely devoid of nutrients and you'll need to make certain your nutritional reserves are topped off if you eat sugar....I know, not a popular opinion around here...oh well.

 

[Nighteyes]

Are you getting lots of B vitamins/potassium/magnesium?

My opinion is that sugar is completely devoid of nutrients and you'll need to make certain your nutritional reserves are topped off if you eat sugar....I know, not a popular opinion around here...oh well.

Actually I am pretty sure that is The general opinion... Or were you being sarcastic?

Sugar might lower your cortisol revealing Pain caused by something Else. Cortisol is very anti inflammatory at least in short bursts.

 

[thebigpeatowski]

No, not sarcastic....it's just that I've seen so many people come here and think RP is all about pure white sugar. Then they have bad experiences and blame "the RP diet" which is totally out of context. (I'm not saying that firebreather is doing this, just mentioning that I've read it several times on the forum).

My own experience is that I needed lots of deep nutrition in which supplementation (because I was so depleted and unable to use sugar) was absolutely necessary. There are some here who are critical of taking so many supplements...I read comments that a "good" Peat diet shouldn't need so many supplements.

I have no idea what fire breather's diet is like so I was simply adding my opinion based on my own inability to handle sugar when I came to this forum. Perhaps he might be deficient somewhere, hence the inflammation? Hope I'm making sense here...

 

[John Frusciante]

Sugar in what form?

 

[Nighteyes]

I have no idea what fire breather's diet is like so I was simply adding my opinion based on my own inability to handle sugar when I came to this forum. Perhaps he might be deficient somewhere, hence the inflammation? Hope I'm making sense here...

Yes, certainly makes sense and I agree. Large intake of sugar in any form must be supported by a strong nutritional foundation. Such as getting it via frut (juice) etc.
I do Think it is likely cortisol taking away OP's aches on The paleo diet as I have experienced this before Discovering Peat. Pregnenolone takes Care of occational joint aches for me now.

 

[thebigpeatowski]

Yep, I have to take a small dose of thyroid otherwise I get achey joints/low back pain. I've tried to wean off a couple times, but always come back to a bit of T3.

 

[firebreather]

No, not sarcastic....it's just that I've seen so many people come here and think RP is all about pure white sugar. Then they have bad experiences and blame "the RP diet" which is totally out of context. (I'm not saying that firebreather is doing this, just mentioning that I've read it several times on the forum).

My own experience is that I needed lots of deep nutrition in which supplementation (because I was so depleted and unable to use sugar) was absolutely necessary. There are some here who are critical of taking so many supplements...I read comments that a "good" Peat diet shouldn't need so many supplements.

I have no idea what fire breather's diet is like so I was simply adding my opinion based on my own inability to handle sugar when I came to this forum. Perhaps he might be deficient somewhere, hence the inflammation? Hope I'm making sense here...

Wow I didn't expect so many responses.

As far as my diet goes I try to eat around 100g of protein (sometimes more and sometimes less). I eat mostly starches for my carbs because of the sugar issue. I easily get 300g plus a day but some of that is from fruit and juice. I do eat some fat in the form of butter and coconut oil.

I use a little white sugar here and there like in my coffee. But if I try to transition to more sugar than starches the aches and pains come on.

What do you mean specifically by "deep nutrition" as far as supplements?

Someone mentioned cortisol. I'm having a couple cortisol tests in the next couple weeks but in the past when I've been tested it's always been low or low normal even though I'm under quite a bit of stress with my job

 

[thebigpeatowski]

What do you mean specifically by "deep nutrition" as far as supplements?

Your diet sounds ideal.

What I mean by deep nutrition is really focusing on getting calories that carry lots of nutrients like potassium, B vitamins and magnesium. I personally had a rough time with sugar/cortisol/gut issues when I first found Peat's articles. It was necessary for me to massively dose some supplements (still do) in order to feel good, but I'm not suggesting you do the same.

I simply found that eating empty calories (sugar) just for the sake of calories actually did me more harm than good, but that's just specific to my situation. I had no idea what I was doing (still don't)....so take everything I say with a grain of salt.

 

[Tenacity]

I like to make sure that whatever the RDA is for a certain micronutrient, I scale it up or down dependent on my calorie intake. Right now I eat about 3000 calories daily, so I make sure that on CRON-o-meter the RDA percentages for each micronutrient is at least 150% (as the percentages are based on a 2000 calorie diet, I believe).

 

[firebreather]

Your diet sounds ideal.

What I mean by deep nutrition is really focusing on getting calories that carry lots of nutrients like potassium, B vitamins and magnesium. I personally had a rough time with sugar/cortisol/gut issues when I first found Peat's articles. It was necessary for me to massively dose some supplements (still do) in order to feel good, but I'm not suggesting you do the same.

I simply found that eating empty calories (sugar) just for the sake of calories actually did me more harm than good, but that's just specific to my situation. I had no idea what I was doing (still don't)....so take everything I say with a grain of salt.

Okay, I see. I take b vitamins off and on but I've never specifically tried to take them while doing more sugar. So you're suggesting that if I am deficient in a certain nutrient that might be playing a part in the inflamation

I like to make sure that whatever the RDA is for a certain micronutrient, I scale it up or down dependent on my calorie intake. Right now I eat about 3000 calories daily, so I make sure that on CRON-o-meter the RDA percentages for each micronutrient is at least 150% (as the percentages are based on a 2000 calorie diet, I believe).

Good ideas. I've never had any luck with those things like CRON-o-meter. It seems like you have to be way to specific on what you're eating. When I say specific I mean, it doesn't just ask if you ate an egg, it asks how it was cooked and specific cups. And then often times the calories that it showed for a specific food were way off from what the package said, etc

 

[DaveFoster]

Your inflammation could be caused by an immune response. Things like fish oil temporarily suppress the immune system, as does corticosteroids.

People find that fish oil gives them temporary relief, but in the long run it prevents proper systemic function.

 

[Mittir]

Wow I didn't expect so many responses.

I eat mostly starches for my carbs because of the sugar issue. I easily get 300g plus a day but some of that is from fruit and juice. I do eat some fat in the form of butter and coconut oil.

I use a little white sugar here and there like in my coffee. But if I try to transition to more sugar than starches the aches and pains come on.

You did not mention what type of starch you are eating and what type of fruits and fruit juice
are your sugar source. Orange juice can be very problematic for some people, especially
when orange is not sweet and ripe. Pectin in OJ and other fruits can cause problem
depending on type of gut flora you have. I can not tolerate OJ and doing fine
with pectin free commercial apple juice. You also have to be careful about
avoiding yeast residue in certain apple juice made from
spoiled apple and grapes often have yeast and sulfur.
Orange is known to have compounds that causes histamine release.
It is not easy to find good quality ripe fruits.

 

[Ewelina]

I agree with Mittir. I cannot drink OJ at all and now I can't eat any fruits as well. I think I caused some pretty serious damage to my digestive system by eating lots of fruits. Most likely, as Mittir said, it's due to pectin and low quality fruit (unripe as I eat only organic). I never had digestive problems before but now I have to stick to very low fiber diet and no raw fruits or starch whatsoever if I want to avoid bloating and stomach ache. IMO fiber is very damaging to the gut.

 

[firebreather]

You did not mention what type of starch you are eating and what type of fruits and fruit juice
are your sugar source. Orange juice can be very problematic for some people, especially
when orange is not sweet and ripe. Pectin in OJ and other fruits can cause problem
depending on type of gut flora you have. I can not tolerate OJ and doing fine
with pectin free commercial apple juice. You also have to be careful about
avoiding yeast residue in certain apple juice made from
spoiled apple and grapes often have yeast and sulfur.
Orange is known to have compounds that causes histamine release.
It is not easy to find good quality ripe fruits.

I agree with Mittir. I cannot drink OJ at all and now I can't eat any fruits as well. I think I caused some pretty serious damage to my digestive system by eating lots of fruits. Most likely, as Mittir said, it's due to pectin and low quality fruit (unripe as I eat only organic). I never had digestive problems before but now I have to stick to very low fiber diet and no raw fruits or starch whatsoever if I want to avoid bloating and stomach ache. IMO fiber is very damaging to the gut.

Thank you both for responding. When I eat starch it's usually potatoes and sometimes some bread or a tortilla. I eat several fruits including apples, oranges, bananas, and sometimes some berries. OJ does seem to increase the inflammation in my nose, which always seems to be there.

But OJ doesn't seem to the inflammation that I'm talking about when I eat extra white sugar which I feel in the form of hemorrhoids and aches and pains in my body. Even when I cut out oranges and OJ the inflammation in my nose is still there.

I've tried cutting out gluten for up to 6 months and I still had the inflammation in my nose

Again these extra inflammation problems don't come on with fruits - when I say sugar I'm talking about white sugar

 

[Fenrir67]

:2 cents: cut your useless white sugar...


"1. Sugar and refined starch


Every time you eat refined carbohydrates (any type of sugar including HFCS, sucrose, lactose, and others, as well as white foods such as white bread, etc.), it results in a rapid rise in blood sugar. This, in turn, causes insulin levels to rise, triggering an immune response. When blood sugar levels and/or insulin levels are high, the result is a pro-inflammatory response. This occurs every time you eat foods containing refined sugars and starches, which can lead to chronic inflammation."

 

[firebreather]

:2 cents: cut your useless white sugar...


"1. Sugar and refined starch


Every time you eat refined carbohydrates (any type of sugar including HFCS, sucrose, lactose, and others, as well as white foods such as white bread, etc.), it results in a rapid rise in blood sugar. This, in turn, causes insulin levels to rise, triggering an immune response. When blood sugar levels and/or insulin levels are high, the result is a pro-inflammatory response. This occurs every time you eat foods containing refined sugars and starches, which can lead to chronic inflammation."

sounds a lot like Paleo, which is ultimately what led to my downfall.

I was great before I went Paleo

 

[firebreather]

Your inflammation could be caused by an immune response. Things like fish oil temporarily suppress the immune system, as does corticosteroids.

People find that fish oil gives them temporary relief, but in the long run it prevents proper systemic function.

I don't take fish oil but I used to take a lot of it when I was paleo a couple years ago

 

[DaveFoster]

I don't take fish oil but I used to take a lot of it when I was paleo a couple years ago

As did I. If you just eat nutrient dense foods, as those purported on the Peat diet, and add in plenty of salt, fat-soluble vitamins, and aspirin, your health will gradually improve.

If you want, you could also add in methylene blue with niacinamide, thiamine, and biotin, but be careful with niacinamide; start at a very low dose of around 10 mg or so.

Lastly, get a thyroid panel to see your hormonal ranges. TSH should be below 1 U/mL.

 

[firebreather]

As did I. If you just eat nutrient dense foods, as those purported on the Peat diet, and add in plenty of salt, fat-soluble vitamins, and aspirin, your health will gradually improve.

If you want, you could also add in methylene blue with niacinamide, thiamine, and biotin, but be careful with niacinamide; start at a very low dose of around 10 mg or so.

Lastly, get a thyroid panel to see your hormonal ranges. TSH should be below 1 U/mL.

10mg? Did I read that right? I haven't even seen that low of a dose available?

Why?

My thyroid is quite low and I'm working on bringing it up - Verified through labs, temp and pulse.

I'm on T4 and T3 as both are below the range

Seems like I notice very little to no effects from any of the supps you mentioned and most other supps and thyroid for that matter