The annual candy blast is coming to your gut

Each year, parents brace themselves for the annual sugar rush that is Halloween: the wired kids and bags of candy that last well beyond Oct. 31. While plenty has been chronicled about the dental assault, the body’s gut, or microbiome, is also affected by the deluge of sugar, says a UW Medicine gastroenterologist.

“In my case, the kiddos eat candy and suddenly they have a lot of energy; they are on a sugar high,” said UW Medicine gastroenterologist Dr. Chris Damman, an expert in the microbiome and its relationship to the body. 

Too much candy can affect the immune system, he noted. 

“A healthy gut microbiome helps your immune system distinguish between friend and foe and reduces the risk of infection. Sugar and inflammation can undermine the microbiome’s role in training the immune system to distinguish between harmful invaders and harmless substances.”

In short, the trillions of bacteria that live in your gut send out molecules and proteins to help other parts of the body act efficiently, Damman said. Sugar can feed the wrong type of bacteria in the gut, especially when it’s consumed regularly. 

Which brings us back to Halloween. What is a parent to do as kids collect pillowcases full of candy? One approach to damage-control is to recognize that all candies are not equal. 

“Some of the treats have high saturated fat, including the ones that tend to be chewier, such as taffy or licorice ropes,” he said. Better choices include dark chocolate, candied or caramel apples, and coated nuts. 

“Dark chocolate has tons of fiber in it and tons of polyphenols. Both of those are important for feeding a healthy microbiome and actually can mitigate the effects of the refined sugar that are present in the dark chocolate,” he said. “Chocolate candies that have nuts are relatively better, as well.”

While kids snack on their haul, another tactic is to offer carrots or other whole food, like apple slices, between bites. Damman admitted, though, that this advice might have a 50/50 chance of being ignored. 

Damman suggests returning to healthy eating habits the next day. The microbiome is fairly resilient and can withstand a one-day sugar surge. 

“It will bounce back fairly quickly if you go back to your healthy eating habits,” he said, adding that an extra helping of whole grains, nuts and fermented foods such as yogurt wouldn’t hurt on Nov. 1. 

And, as his daughter reminds him: “One of the more important lessons in nutrition is it's OK to cheat every now and then,” he said. “I think taking too strict an approach to nutrition and completely limiting things often will backfire, especially when it comes to kiddos. At our household, we let them enjoy their candy, pretty much unrestricted, and they tend to regulate themselves.”

Download broadcast-ready soundbites and related multimedia with Damman.

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