Does Sugar Make Chronic Pain Worse?
How your sweet tooth makes your body feel bitter
Sugar! It’s the main reason why so many of our favorites snacks and treats taste so delicious! Not only that, but it’s also affordable and readily available pretty much anywhere. Unfortunately, these facts often overshadow the risks of sugar consumption.
It’s well known that eating too much sugar can cause obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. But did you know sugar can also make chronic pain worse? It’s true – eating too much sugar causes your body to react in all kinds of painful ways.
But we don’t want to come off all doom and gloom here. So our pain management experts share some useful knowledge on how sugar contributes to chronic pain as well as some helpful tips to find relief. There can be a place for some sugary snacks in your diet. If you do it right, you can enjoy your favorite treats while limiting the nasty side effects.
The secret of sugar
Sugar is a primary ingredient in foods like candy, cakes, ice cream, and other desserts. But there is a lot of sugar hidden in most processed foods as well.
Processed food is any food that has been altered in some way during production and preparation. That can include things such as freezing and canning, and it even impacts a lot of “healthy” items such as granola bars, yogurt, whole wheat bread, and sports drinks.
How does sugar affect chronic pain?
Consuming sugar causes our bodies to release insulin and stress hormones. These chemicals, in turn, can trigger inflammation, which is one of the most common causes of chronic pain.
Inflammation occurs when the body sends white blood cells to an area of injury or infection. The white blood cells then go to work protecting and healing the affected area. This sudden influx of cells to a single place causes swelling, redness, and tenderness.
Sometimes this swelling may pinch or aggravate nerves, which can cause pain. Inflammation is a very natural response to bodily harm, but it can become chronic if it continues even in the absence of injury. Excess sugar consumption can promote chronic inflammation.
The parts of our bodies where we have the least amount of blood circulation are at greatest risk of inflammation. That is why the joints and back are common chronic pain points and can be the most dramatically impacted by sugar consumption.
Research points to refined sugars as posing the greatest risk of causing inflammation. Refined sugar is the type you find in sweets like baked goods, candy, and ice cream.
Tips for chronic pain relief
The news isn’t all bad though. There are some easy lifestyle choices you can make that will allow you to enjoy (some) sweets while avoiding chronic pain flare ups. Here are a few simple tips to help you keep inflammation down.
Choose good carbs and avoid bad carbs
Good carbs contain a lot of fiber, which is absorbed slowly into the blood stream. This provides the body with energy, but without spiking glucose and insulin levels. Good carbs are found in foods such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans. And while some fruits like apples and pears have seemingly high sugar levels, they are low on the glycemic index, which means they keep blood sugar levels steady while preventing feelings of hunger.
Bad carbs, along with triggering your inflammation response, are absorbed quickly into the blood, which tends to spike blood sugar and insulin levels. Bad carbs are found in foods such as white bread, white rice, sugary beverages, and sweets.
There is room for some tasty treats in your life, as long as you eat them in moderation while focusing on eating mostly healthy, nutritious foods.
Drink plenty of water
Not only does staying hydrated aid in effective digestion and nutrient absorption, it also helps reduce chronic pain. Water helps flush out toxins and other irritants that contribute to inflammation.
Additionally, water helps manage joint pain. If you do not drink enough water, you become dehydrated. When this happens, your body looks for water anywhere it can find it, so it can redistribute it to where it is needed most. The cartilage in our joints are made up of 60% water, which makes them a prime target. Taking water from your joints reduces lubrication and enables toxins to remain, which fuels pain and inflammation (9).
According to he U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, an adequate daily fluid intake is:
- About 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men
- About 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women
These recommendations cover fluids from water, other beverages, and food. About 20% of daily fluid intake usually comes from food and the rest from drinks (1).
Stay active
A regular exercise regimen goes hand in hand with a nutritious diet when it comes to managing chronic pain and your overall health. Physical activity releases a flood of anti-inflammatory chemicals into the body. Exercise also causes the body’s cells to increase their sensitivity to insulin. The increased insulin sensitivity from exercise also helps reduce chronic inflammation (8).
So, as you consume the occasional sugary snack, a healthy exercise routine can help minimize the impact on your body, reducing the risk of pain-causing inflammation. Find more information on exercising with chronic pain.
On another note, staying active can also help reduce stress and avoid caving to your cravings. Which brings us to…
Manage your stress
At first, this one may not seem associated with your diet. But in fact, stress can play a major role in the amount and kind of food you eat. You may have heard the term “emotional eating,” and it turns out this is a very real thing.
Stressful events cause the body to release a defensive chemical called cortisol. Studies show that if your body’s cortisol levels remain elevated for extended periods of time, it can result in increased food consumption, fat storage, and weight gain (2).
Additionally, recent research suggests that those experiencing stress are more likely to consume foods high in fat and sugar (3), which greatly increases the risk of triggering your body’s inflammation response.
If you experience consistent and/or severe stress in your life, consider taking steps to relax and find peace. You can learn more about stress and chronic pain by reading our blog, Does Anxiety Make Chronic Pain Worse?
Get enough sleep
Quality sleep is important for so many reasons. How it impacts your eating habits is no exception. Sleep deprivation can affect your body’s production of certain hormones that help control blood sugar levels.
Additionally, studies have shown that sleep deprivation affects the body’s release of the neurotransmitters ghrelin and leptin. This has shown to increase hunger and appetite, especially for calorie-dense foods with high carbohydrate/sugar content (5). If you start consuming more sugar, you run the risk of increasing inflammation.
Try to make sure you’re getting eight hours of sleep as often as possible to keep your body well rested and performing at its peak.
