Table of contents:
- Sweet foods are not the cause of sore throat, however ...
- Sweet foods can lower the immune system
- Sweet foods make stomach acid rise
- Eating ice cream when you have a sore throat can actually help
Have you ever experienced sore throat after eating sweet foods? Or even when you have a sore throat and then eat ice cream or candy, and the pain you feel gets worse?
Of course having a sore throat makes you very uncomfortable. Itching, dryness, and sometimes sore throat are common symptoms, and in some cases, sugary foods make these symptoms worse. Then, why do sugary foods make your sore throat worse? See the next explanation.
Sweet foods are not the cause of sore throat, however …
Basically, sore throat does occur due to bacterial and viral infections. Although sugary foods don't cause sore throat directly, there are several reasons that all the sweet snacks you eat can trigger you to experience this condition, what are the reasons?
Sweet foods can lower the immune system
One reason why too frequent 'snacking' on foods that contain too much sugar is unhealthy, is because sugary foods can lower your immune system. In fact, when you have an infectious disease such as strep throat, what you need most is a strong immune system so that the body can fight any viruses or bacteria that are currently infecting. Even sugar makes viruses and bacteria stronger than before.
So, the body actually needs vitamin C to increase its immunity, but when you eat too much sweet food - which contains high sugar - it makes the amount of vitamin C in the body decreases. In addition, the sugar that is broken down by the body changes its form to glucose, while vitamin C that has been digested also has a shape similar to glucose.
When the body needs vitamin C to boost the immune system, it finds not the form of vitamin C that is broken down, but glucose. So that the immune system weakens and the bacteria or viruses get stronger - because they get glucose from the body.
Sweet foods make stomach acid rise
Although sugar does not directly cause stomach acid to rise, it is often contained in foods that can increase stomach acid, such as chocolate and coffee. Stomach acid that rises or reflux into the throat will cause a burning sensation called heartburn. This condition, if it occurs frequently, can cause throat irritation and eventually make the throat inflamed.
In addition, foods that are sweet and high in sugar can make you gain weight on the scale. A study published in the journal Clincal Gastroenterology and Hepatology states that people who are overweight or obese are more likely to experience acid reflux than people who have an ideal body weight. So, you should reduce your sugar intake in a day.
Eating ice cream when you have a sore throat can actually help
Ice cream is a sweet food, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't eat it when you have a sore throat. On the contrary, a study found that soft, easy to digest foods such as ice cream are the type of food that is best for people with sore throat.
But, of course, first look at the nutritional value of the ice cream you will eat, whether it contains high sugar or not. Actually it doesn't matter if you occasionally eat sweet foods when you have inflammation, the most important thing is to limit the amount of sugar and don't eat it too often.
