Episode 17: Stop Eating Sugar! Sugar and Fibro-Flares
"STOP EATING SUGAR! Sugar CAUSES inflammation! Don't eat sugar because it causes inflammation! Bad! Bad! BAD for fibromyalgia!".
This is what the internet keeps screaming at me and I am REALLY confused. Fibromyalgia may or may not be an inflammatory disorder so, what's the deal? Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by all-over body pain and fatigue. As a person living with fibromyalgia, I am wondering what sugar has to do with anything. There is already so much that is confusing about this disorder. Diet is stressed at every turn and with that comes the battle cry: STOP EATING SUGAR! So I did. Now what? What is the truth about sugar and fibromyalgia?
Our bodies NEED sugar don't they? That's why we crave it, right? NOPE! We don't need the added sugars. Dr. Kristna Rother, a pediatrician and an expert on sweeteners, explains in the NIH article Sweet Stuff , "Our bodies need one type of sugar, called glucose, to survive. Glucose is the number one food for the brain, and it’s an extremely important source of fuel throughout the body”. We get glucose naturally through whole food sources. But too much added sugar can contribute to diseases such as obesity, type II diabetes, and heart disease. Sugar can also contribute to inflammation, exacerbate anxiety & depression, increase fatigue, and trigger fibro-flares.
1. Inflammation: Does sugar cause inflammation?
First of all, understanding how sugar causes inflammation is for other experts, but in gist, excessive sugar intake can cause metabolic disorders that lead to acute and chronic inflammation. Inflammation causes pain because, as the specialists at the Garden State Pain and Orthopedic Center explain, "the swelling and buildup of tissue is pressing up against nerve endings". So the answer is YES. Sugar causes inflammation and it seems that every available source on diet and fibromyalgia leads with sugar as a culpable player. Although fibromyalgia may not be caused by inflammation, excessive sugar intake may amplify the pain in people living with fibromyalgia.
2. Anxiety and Depression: Does sugar intensify anxiety and depression?
Yes. I don't know if I can say it more clearly. Yes it does. I am speaking from personal experience here as well. The sugar high with the consequent crash produces drug-like seeking behavior. Sugar releases the "feel-good" neurotransmitter dopamine. When sugar is eaten in excess, and if the behavior continues, the repeated demand on the brain's reward system requires more and more and more to get the same feel-good result. This continual sugar high and crash cycle can wreak havoc on mental health. It can produce repeated and extreme mood swings thus intensifying anxiety and depression when the sugar crash happens. According to the Centers for Disease Control, both anxiety and depression are common symptoms associated with fibromyalgia. Adding sugar to the equation can worsen these symptoms.
3. Fatigue: Does sugar cause fatigue?
Sugar can cause fatigue. According to R.E. Thayer, a prominent researcher on mood disorders, sugar will increase energy but also sleepiness and tension. Fatigue is a common symptom of high blood sugar; eating an excess of sugar spikes the body's blood sugar and with the spike comes the crash. Sanford Health explains this more clearly, "When the body has more sugar than it’s used to, it rapidly produces insulin in an attempt to keep the levels consistent. This causes blood glucose to decrease, which results in a sudden drop in energy levels, also known as hypoglycemia, or a sugar crash". The exhaustion and fatigue from these repeated spikes exacerbates fibromyalgia pain which can lead to fibro-flares.
4. Fibromyalgia Flares: Does sugar cause fibro-flares?
A fibromyalgia flare, or fibro-flare, is when a person's symptoms intensify and worsen. This is a temporary state that can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Based on the research, sugar increases inflammation, anxiety & depression, and fatigue; a symphony of these symptoms lends itself to an uptick in fibromyalgia pain. There are other triggers for fibromyalgia flares such as: stress, temperature, changes in routine, and hormonal fluctuation, to name a few, but sugar intake is something we can individually control. Though fibro-flares may still occur for any number of other reasons, why not take sugar out of the equation?
The Battle Cry Against Sugar
I will add my voice to the battle cry and raise the flag against sugar. Though the relationship between sugar and fibromyalgia is still being studied, it is clear that eating excess sugar can worsen symptoms such as inflammation, anxiety & depression, and fatigue. These symptoms can exacerbate fibro-flares making it difficult to manage pain and maintain a good quality of life. However, implementing dietary changes that include limiting or excluding added sugars altogether as part of an overall treatment plan may reduce the incidence and severity of fibromyalgia flares. Reducing the intake of excess sugar is one more way to help manage the role fibromyalgia plays in your life. However, it is important to work closely with your healthcare provider before making any significant changes to your diet or treatment plan.
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Karen Palmen, EdD is a veteran educator in Saint Paul, Mn. She teaches Dance and English at Saint Paul Central High School. She has an active TikTok page that features humorous, political, mental health, and educational content (kickin it with karen). And a a dormant YOUTUBE channel with the same name, featuring fermented foods and other cooking oddities.
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Citations
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Dellwo, Adrienne. “How Research Can Find Treatments for Inflammation in Fibromyalgia.”
Verywell Health, Verywell Health, 20 Apr. 2022, https://www.verywellhealth.com/inflammation-in-fibromyalgia-716012.
“Fibromyalgia.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, 6 Jan. 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/fibromyalgia.htm.
“Get the Facts: Added Sugars.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for
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“How Inflammation Causes Pain.” Garden State Pain and Orthopedics, Garden State Pain
and Ortoepedics, https://www.gardenstatepain.com/post/how-inflammation-causes-pain.
“Sugar Crash Effects and How to Fix Them.” Sanford Health News, 25 Jan. 2023,
https://news.sanfordhealth.org/healthy-living/sugar-crash-effects/#:~:text=When%20the%20body%20has%20more,hypoglycemia%2C%20or%20a%20sugar%20crash.
“Sweet Stuff.” National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
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Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2008, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2292439/#:~:text=Fibromyalgia%20was%20formerly%20classified%20as,affects%20the%20central%20nervous%20system.