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Posted 6/25/2015 7:34 AM (GMT 0)
Would excessive sugar (a bag of jelly beans every day) contribute to inflammation
Posted 6/25/2015 8:20 AM (GMT 0)
I believe it will even in non-UC folks. Sugar also feeds yeast and pathogens and will further weaken an already compromised community of civic-minded bacteria if I may use that term LOL.
Posted 6/25/2015 8:42 AM (GMT 0)
It's my weakness. I go off it for months and then I start eating it again and the reason I asks is because I usually notice the affects of it whether it be a cold sore or a cold or a sign of a weakened immunity. I'm not talking occasional sugar.. I can eat a bag of lollies at night and open a second some times. Other than the lollies my diet is spot on
Posted 6/25/2015 11:11 AM (GMT 0)
The cure for UC, the holy grail has been found: civic minded bacteria. tongue
Posted 6/25/2015 11:27 AM (GMT 0)
I have followed nutrition and complementary therapy trends and research since diagnosis, so that's some 30 years now. I find that ideas change over time and opinions often conflict (the push away from veg oils to saturated fats for instance being a massive shift at the moment). However, one thing that has stayed steady is the pretty universal condemnation of sugar. In fact, the condemnation seems to grow, so I suspect there is something in it.

I found less cold sore outbreaks with less sugar too. I think my IBD is better with less sugar but always hard to tell the cause and effects.

I remember reading stuff a couple of years back about colon cells using butyrate, glutamin and glucose. I wonder if we get short on the first two we end up wanting sugar to get a quick glucose fix.

Interestingly, most jelly babies would be made from gelatin which they say the gut likes.
Posted 6/25/2015 1:12 PM (GMT 0)
I would assume that the amount of inflammation a bag of jelly beans produces is absolutely neglible compared to the amount of inflammation that an autoimmune inflammatory disease produces.
Posted 6/25/2015 2:10 PM (GMT 0)
Oh, just enjoy your bag of jellybeans without guilt. Uc takes/robs so much from us as it is. Enjoy a few indulgences, otherwise life is no fun :-)
Posted 6/25/2015 2:16 PM (GMT 0)

iPoop said...
Oh, just enjoy your bag of jellybeans without guilt. Uc takes/robs so much from us as it is. Enjoy a few indulgences, otherwise life is no fun :-)

I do agree with iPoop on this. If the bag of jelly beans is causing you no issues, then what's the problem? All that sugar will get absorbed in your upper small bowel and won't even reach the colon anyway. For whatever it's worth I've been eating lots of sweets since surgery 2 and a half years ago, and my Crohn's hasn't returned. I always thought diet had no impact on my disease even before surgery, and that seems to be even more true now.
Posted 6/25/2015 3:17 PM (GMT 0)
LOL Petah, I think as long as it's a small bag of jellybeans then at least that's better than a big bag (or multiple small bags lol) sugar is inflammatory so moderation is key which could be said for just about everything.

Enjoy your jellybeans :)
Posted 6/25/2015 7:17 PM (GMT 0)
You devil. How dare you eat all those jellybeans.

I eat chocolate everyday. I don't believe that it affects my UC.
Posted 6/25/2015 8:09 PM (GMT 0)
Hahahahahaha thanks
Posted 6/25/2015 8:33 PM (GMT 0)
Sugar obviously increases inflammation. Of that there is no question. But you cant avoid sugar and indulging in large sums of it from time-to-time is not going to kill you. Just dont make it a habit.
Posted 6/26/2015 5:46 AM (GMT 0)

NiceCupOfTea said...
All that sugar will get absorbed in your upper small bowel and won't even reach the colon anyway.

Is that how that works? You'd think they'd inject Remicade directly into your colon, since things have to reach your colon to affect it.

I guess if the small intestines absorbs the sugar, it avoids the same blood that reaches your colon.

Science all around us.
Posted 6/26/2015 6:06 AM (GMT 0)
You seem a bit confused Eric. Sugar is absorbed into the blood as glucose, a monosaccharide, similar to all carbohydrates. As NCOT indicated, this is done high up in the small intestine. The pancreas then secretes insulin into the blood to retrieve those glucose molecules, and distribute them to cells around the body for energy usage.
Remicade is an anti tnf-alpha molecule. It binds with tnf-alpha so as to render it inactive. In that way it limits the amount of inflammatory response that occurs throughout the body. (They developed Entyvio in order to only affect tnf-alpha that is available in the colon, rather than throughout the body.)
Posted 6/26/2015 6:14 AM (GMT 0)
^ This is true. Complex carbs like starches are more of a problem because they make it to the large intestine where they ferment and cause dysbiosis. I think simple sugars are directly absorbed.

Mind you, jelly beans are loaded with artificial dye and things like guar gum, which is why for someone like me they wouldn't work.
Posted 6/27/2015 1:34 PM (GMT 0)
I try to limit my sugar intake because it's just not good for me. If that's your favorite sugary item, then don't get rid of it. Moderation.
Posted 6/28/2015 12:43 AM (GMT 0)
i avoid sugars as much as possible, they are trouble to me with UC, you could try yogurt with natural fruits bits (without added sugars) as a "sweet" alternative.
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