Experiencing nausea, headaches, or digestive issues after indulging in sugary treats? You’re not alone. Many people experience adverse reactions to sugar, and while diabetes might be the first thought, there are several other reasons why do i feel sick after eating sugary foods. This article delves into the potential causes of sugar sensitivity and explores natural ways to address them.
Potential Causes of Feeling Sick After Eating Sugar
Several factors can contribute to feeling unwell after consuming sugary foods. Let’s explore some of the most common culprits:
1. Underlying Infection
Sugar, especially refined sugar, can fuel the growth of harmful bacteria and yeast in your gut, leading to various uncomfortable symptoms.
SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth)
Refined sugar feeds opportunistic bacteria in the digestive tract, potentially crowding out beneficial bacteria. This imbalance can lead to Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), often triggered by illness, stress, surgery, food poisoning, or antibiotics. SIBO contributes to bloating, gas, and other digestive issues.
Candida Overgrowth
Sugar can also feed yeast in your intestinal tract, leading to Candida overgrowth. This can manifest as digestive issues, sinus congestion, and a feeling of stuffiness. The body constantly tries to maintain equilibrium. When you flood the system with sugar, invasive bacteria or yeast replicate rapidly, overwhelming the body’s defenses. This is why symptoms often flare up after a period of sugar abstinence. The health of your microbiome significantly impacts your overall health and can contribute to conditions like insulin resistance and obesity.
Treating SIBO and Candida typically involves dietary and lifestyle changes, along with targeted supplementation.
Symptoms of an Intestinal Infection:
- Dizziness
- Head “fullness”
- Sinus congestion
- Nausea
- Stomach cramping
- Abdominal pain
- Gas
- Rashes or hives
- Bloating
- Diarrhea
- Weight loss
- Difficulty losing weight
- Malnutrition
Mold exposure is another often-overlooked factor. Some molds can subtly cause illness, and many house molds are odorless. Patients with mold illness might experience a gradual accumulation of symptoms, leading to a persistent feeling of being unwell.
2. Blood Sugar Regulation Problems
If your body struggles to regulate blood sugar, a sugar overload can disrupt the balance and cause unpleasant symptoms.
Blood sugar regulation issues exist on a spectrum, ranging from insulin resistance to type 2 diabetes. These problems stem from the body’s inability to efficiently use glucose in the bloodstream. Causes can include systemic inflammation, chronic infections, unbalanced diets (inadequate protein in the morning or insufficient carbohydrates at night), stress, and sleep problems.
In insulin resistance, cells struggle to access glucose, leading to increased insulin release and exacerbating the problem. Insulin resistance can eventually progress to type 2 diabetes, increase vulnerability to viral infections, and raise the risk of other chronic conditions.
Insulin resistance impairs the cells’ access to energy, potentially worsening existing symptoms. Functional medicine testing can help diagnose these conditions, which are often reversible through natural interventions like dietary and lifestyle changes and natural supplementation.
Symptoms Indicating a Blood Sugar Problem:
- Feeling faint
- Nausea
- Shakiness between meals
- Anxiety
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Excessive thirst
- Difficulty losing weight
- Feeling sick when hungry
- Poor sleep quality
- Morning nausea
- “Crashing” soon after consuming sugar
- Frequent need to eat
- Anger and agitation when missing meals
3. Underlying Inflammation
Inflammation is the body’s response to infection or injury.
Localized inflammation is evident when a cut becomes red and hot, indicating white blood cells rushing to aid recovery. Inflammation neutralizes threats and restores balance. However, modern diets and lifestyles often contribute to chronic internal inflammation. This inflammation can damage the intestinal lining, weaken artery walls, cause stomach ulcers, lower life expectancy, and increase the risk of chronic diseases.
Functional medicine tests can identify different types of inflammation and their sources. Underlying inflammation is linked to metabolic disorders like insulin resistance, necessitating a multifaceted treatment approach.
Dietary changes and nutritional supplements can significantly reduce inflammation, improve sleep, increase energy, and alleviate previously perceived permanent symptoms like migraines, fatigue, and poor digestion.
4. An Underlying Condition
Underlying conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, Long COVID, or vascular disease can directly contribute to insulin resistance. Additionally, having a metabolic condition such as insulin resistance can increase the likelihood of developing chronic conditions and experiencing complications.
Individuals with underlying conditions may experience joint pain, brain fog, and digestive distress for days after eating sugar. The lingering inflammation triggers a chain reaction throughout the body.
Lifestyle choices can trigger pain, inflammation, and disease; however, they can also hold the key to managing these processes. A strong social network, quality sleep, and enjoyable physical activities are as crucial as diet for recovery from any symptom or condition.
A diet rich in whole foods, low in processed foods, and abundant in vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats like olive oil can establish a strong foundation for minimizing inflammation.
AN OVERRELIANCE ON DIETARY INTERVENTIONS
While some individuals benefit temporarily from a ketogenic-like diet while addressing underlying conditions, strict diets are not typically sustainable long-term. The goal is to help patients achieve metabolic resilience, reducing their reliance on specific diets to remain symptom-free. This depends highly on individual health goals and underlying conditions.
Just as medications have varying effects, dietary needs differ among individuals. A strict keto or paleo diet might sound appealing but can exacerbate underlying health conditions in some people.
A diet or supplement that works well for someone else may not suit your unique genetic and biological needs. Functional medicine testing can identify underlying conditions, their causes, and specific interventions for symptom relief and improved overall health. It can also guide the creation of a personalized, ideal diet.
5. Food Allergies and Sensitivities
While fructose allergies are possible, it’s more common to mistake a sugar intolerance or allergy for another food intolerance or one of the previously mentioned causes.
Symptoms might recur after consuming specific processed foods like toaster pastries or candies. This could be due to sugar or other ingredients. Processed foods are often loaded with potential allergens such as gluten, preservatives, dyes, binders, dairy, nuts, and soy. A functional medicine doctor can help eliminate potential culprits and restore gastrointestinal health.
Identifying and temporarily avoiding the trigger food can allow the body to heal, potentially enabling moderate tolerance in the future.
If you react strongly to sugar, start a food journal to track your reactions. Noting differences in how you feel after eating fruit versus corn syrup, or when avoiding grains, can provide valuable insights for creating a healthy, symptom-free diet.
Limitations of a ‘Gut Healing Diet’
Despite the popularity of ‘gut healing’ diets like paleo, keto, high-protein, intermittent fasting, or calorie restriction, your body typically requires a healthy diet in addition to targeted nutritional interventions to eliminate an infection effectively.
If adhering to a restrictive diet still results in symptom flare-ups after consuming even a small amount of sugar, it indicates a persistent infection or another underlying issue.
A healthy intestinal tract should be able to handle an occasional sugary dessert. Our ancestors consumed large amounts of sugar from naturally available sources like fruit trees and bee nests.
Rather than adhering to a restrictive diet indefinitely, treating the underlying infection or condition can allow you to indulge occasionally without experiencing negative consequences. Many patients also experience improved overall health, including increased energy, better sleep, improved mood, and a reduced risk of developing chronic diseases in the future, once an infection is cleared.
Functional medicine employs various tests, along with lifestyle and dietary recommendations, to pinpoint the causes of sugar sensitivity.
Functional Medicine Testing
A starting point for many patients who react adversely to sugar includes checking their Hemoglobin A1C, assessing their mold exposure risk, and performing a comprehensive stool analysis. Each patient is different, and testing is tailored to individual needs.
Hemoglobin A1c
Hemoglobin A1C measures average blood sugar levels over three months, providing the most accurate assessment of blood sugar regulation. Functional medicine levels should be approximately 5.2. A level of 5.7 or higher indicates pre-diabetes, while 6.5 or higher indicates type 2 diabetes.
Comprehensive Stool Analysis
A Comprehensive Stool Analysis evaluates protective bacteria levels, identifies potential hidden gut infections, and assesses digestive capacity.
Urine Mycotoxin Test
A Urine Mycotoxin Test can reveal the presence of mold toxins in the body.
Functional Medicine Can Help Sugar Sensitivity
Functional medicine consultations differ from conventional checkups. Instead of a brief appointment followed by routine tests, it begins with a comprehensive, hour-long new patient appointment.
Details regarding symptom onset and progression, family history, and complete medical history are essential for understanding your health condition and creating a treatment plan. Follow-up appointments are 30 minutes long, allowing for adjustments to treatment plans based on your recovery progress. Functional medicine specializes in treating complex and chronic symptoms naturally.
Patients can often resolve long-term symptoms and conditions, including those previously deemed permanent or an inevitable consequence of aging.
A consultation can help determine the cause of your symptoms, particularly if your condition is complex and you have tried numerous diets and approaches with limited success.
Conclusion
Feeling sick after eating sugary foods can stem from various underlying issues, ranging from gut imbalances and blood sugar dysregulation to inflammation and underlying health conditions. Functional medicine offers a comprehensive approach to identify the root cause of your sugar sensitivity and develop a personalized treatment plan to restore your health and well-being. Remember, addressing the underlying cause, rather than just restricting sugar, is key to long-term relief and improved overall health.
Bibliography
[1] Kossewska, Joanna, Karolina Bierlit, and Vladimir Trajkovski. 2022. “Personality, Anxiety, and Stress in Patients with Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth Syndrome. The Polish Preliminary Study.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20 (1): 93. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010093.
[2] Saad MJ, Santos A, Prada PO. Linking Gut Microbiota and Inflammation to Obesity and Insulin Resistance. Physiology (Bethesda). 2016 Jul;31(4):283-93. doi: 10.1152/physiol.00041.2015. PMID: 27252163.
[3] Ostrowski, Bartosz, and Michał Kukla. 2020. “SIBO – What the General Practitioner Should Know.” Paediatrics and Family Medicine 16 (1): 53–56. https://doi.org/10.15557/PiMR.2020.0009.
[4] “Lifestyle Interventions for Type 2 Diabetes,” The Institute for Functional Medicine, Accessed May 21, 2023, https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/cardio-using-functional-medicine-reverse-type-ii-diabetes/
[5] Hunter, Philip. 2012. “The Inflammation Theory of Disease – The Growing Realization That Chronic Inflammation Is Crucial in Many Diseases Opens New Avenues for Treatment.” EMBO Reports 13 (11): 968–70. https://doi.org/10.1038/embor.2012.142.
[6] “Connections Between Inflammation and Insulin Resistance,” The Institute for Functional Medicine, Accessed May 21, 2023, https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/connections-between-inflammation-and-insulin-resistance/
[7]”Lifestyle Interventions for Type II Diabetes,” The Institute for Functional Medicine, Accessed May 21, 2023, https://www.ifm.org/news-insights/cardio-using-functional-medicine-reverse-type-ii-diabetes/
Gonzalez-Gay MA, Gonzalez-Juanatey C, Vazquez-Rodriguez TR, Miranda-Filloy JA, Llorca J. Insulin resistance in rheumatoid arthritis: the impact of the anti-TNF-alpha therapy. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2010 Apr;1193:153-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.05287.x. PMID: 20398022.
[8] Al-Hakeim, Hussein Kadhem, Haneen Tahseen Al-Rubaye, Abdulsahib S Jubran, Abbas F Almulla, Shatha Moustafa, and Michael Maes. 2022. “Increased Insulin Resistance Due to Long COVID Is Associated with Depressive Symptoms and Partly Predicted by the Inflammatory Response During Acute Infection.” MedRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.12.01.22283011
[9] Yuan X, Wang J, Yang S, Gao M, Cao L, Li X, Hong D, Tian S, Sun C. Effect of the ketogenic diet on glycemic control, insulin resistance, and lipid metabolism in patients with T2DM: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutr Diabetes. 2020 Nov 30;10(1):38. doi: 10.1038/s41387-020-00142-z. PMID: 33257645; PMCID: PMC7705738.
