Uploaded January 2014 | Updated September 2026, 50 minutes ago
Studies out of the University of North Carolina published in the December 2013 issue of Virology, showed that reducing glucose levels in cell cultures inhibited the influenza virus from infecting host cells and spreading to other cells. Now, if only we could lower blood glucose levels in living humans! While we cannot achieve this clinically, we learned that there are at least two mechanisms whereby consuming more sugar will feed a viral infection.
First, we know from very old literature that high sugar levels suppress the abilitly of our white blood cells from engulfing infecting organisms. And secondly, we now know that high levels of sugar also promote the abililty of viruses to spread inside of cells as well as to other tissues.
Studies out of the University of North Carolina published in the December 2013 issue of Virology, showed that reducing glucose levels in cell cultures inhibited the influenza virus from infecting host cells and spreading to other cells. Now, if only we could lower blood glucose levels in living humans! While we cannot achieve this clinically, we learned that there are at least two mechanisms whereby consuming more sugar will feed a viral infection.
First, we know from very old literature that high sugar levels suppress the abilitly of our white blood cells from engulfing infecting organisms. And secondly, we now know that high levels of sugar also promote the abililty of viruses to spread inside of cells as well as to other tissues.
