A person’s immune system is critical for their survival. People tend to have longer and healthier lives when their immunity is consistently strong. Good, nutritious food is important in maintaining one’s immune system’s strength. On the other hand, certain foods can have a detrimental effect on one’s immunity. Sugar is one such food element that weakens the immune system. Here are some signs of a poor immune system due to excessive sugar intake:

High-stress levels
Stress has always been associated with weakened immunity in people. That is why, after a particularly stressful day at work, people are more likely than not to call in sick the following morning. Stress results from weakened immune responses caused due to illness or other bodily conditions. Stress tends to decrease the count of the body’s lymphocytes, the white blood cells responsible for battling infection.
Sugar consumption causes a stress response in one’s body. Anxiety and stress are closely linked with a person’s blood sugar rising or falling. Blood sugar triggers various mental health issues, such as depression, insomnia, a lack of focus, memory issues, a constant feeling of being overwhelmed, inflammation, and other issues.
A reason for these problems is that sugar suppresses the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in a person’s brain. This axis regulates stress responses in individuals. So, effectively, when a person has a sugar rush, they feel happy and euphoric for a while because of the dopamine release. However, those sensations are accompanied by lingering anxiety as the body eventually loses its natural capability to handle stress.

Fever
Diabetes and fever are two more points at which sugar and immunity weakening converge. When a person’s body temperature exceeds normal, their immune system works doubly hard to fight certain infections. Mild fever is a sign of certain autoimmune conditions too.
People with extremely high blood sugar also tend to develop infections more often than those who do not have the health condition. Poorly-controlled blood sugar levels make people more vulnerable to agents such as viruses, fungi, and bacteria. As a result, if an individual experiences fever frequently, they must consult their healthcare expert to diagnose immunity-related conditions.

Perpetual fatigue
High blood sugar, medically known as hyperglycemia, tends to tire people throughout the day. A high sugar ratio in one’s blood reduces the amount of beta-endorphins and serotonin, causing tiredness more often. Sugary foods are created to provide the highest energy levels, after which one tends to experience an energy crash.
This problem worsens when people have low insulin levels (insulin transports sugars to the various cells and organs in the body) in their blood. In short, if someone faces low energy phases throughout their day, they may have weakened immunity, high blood sugar, or the former triggered by the latter.

Frequent stomach troubles
People with weakened immunity tend to have constipation, diarrhea, or gas more frequently. This happens because the bacteria and microorganisms that trigger these problems are generally in an individual’s gut. Also, about 70 percent of a person’s immune system is in or around their digestive tract. So, stomach problems are often the earliest indicators that an individual’s immunity is compromised.
Sugar stimulates the digestive system to loosen the bowels by putting out water and electrolytes. Additionally, hyperglycemia disrupts the intestinal barrier and increases its permeability. This is why, when someone consumes large amounts of sugary and starchy foods, they spend a large chunk of their time the next day in the restroom.

Frequent infections
The relationship between frequent infections and diabetes has already been established. Essentially, the high sugar levels in a person’s blood and tissues enable bacteria to fester and allow infections to take control of an individual’s vital functions. This is why, It is safe to say that bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms tend to get a free run in a person’s body due to their weakening immunity. Long-term sugar consumption is responsible for these diabetes-driven immunity issues in people.

Perpetual cold
The infections discussed above also trigger issues like cough and cold in people. In normal circumstances, people tend to have sniffling and sneezing fits about three times annually and recover from it within a week or two. People with weakened immunity do not recover as immediately, meaning that they have a cold and cough almost on any given day and time, regardless of the external season. This is brought about mainly by bad habits such as excessive daily sugar consumption.
Allergies driven by sugar consumption also cause excessive lung mucus, sinus infections, and a constantly runny nose.

Wounds that do not heal
Another common symptom of diabetes and immunity problems is wounds that do not mend in average time. Generally, when a person has a cut, a burn, or a scrape, their immunity and skin cells work hard to repair the wound quickly. However, excessive sugar in the blood does not allow these entities to work efficiently. So, it is not uncommon for someone with high blood sugar and immunity problems to nurse a fresh wound even a day or two after getting it.

Frequent headaches
Low immunity also tends to cause issues like migraine and headaches more frequently than not. Poor immunity tends to trigger a condition known as vasculitis, an inflammation of blood vessels in the head caused by infections or autoimmune problems, both of which could be traced back to diabetes or high blood sugar.

Apart from these problems, some of the other ones caused by high blood sugar weakening a person’s immunity are dry eyes, rashes on the skin, and stool-related issues. It is important to consult a healthcare professional before starting any meal plan or eliminating any food items from your meals. Also, make it a habit to consume 8 glasses of water every day.