The Thread Where We Dispel Internet Misinformation

[CraigSca]

So, my Facebook feed is filled with perfunctory medical one-liners. I HATE them. I want them to burn in fire and die.

Today's: "Eating sugar (like a bottle of soda) temporarily disables your immune system's ability to function and respond properly for several hours."

This screams quackery to me, and yes, I googled this, but I'm seeing conflicting info. I see something about a 1973 study that Dr. Sears references as part of the claim.

I realize I can't end these debates once and for all, I just despise the misinformation spread as fact.

[Suicane75]

I believe Dr. Roebuck came to a similar conclusion in an identical study.

[cartman]

Drs. Ward and JC Penney found the opposite

[Suicane75]

Dr. Jamesway ran out of funding. :(

[Suicane75]

But to be reals, I seriously doubt your immune system shuts down after you drink a coke. But I am no science doctor or anything of the sort.

[stevew]

People freak out over theoretical EMP attacks way too much.

[stevew]

Dr. Ames, Dr. K and Dr. Hills are angry

[Lathum]

You mean everything on the internet isn't true?

[CraigSca]

And it's my job to fix that.

[Radii]

Today's: "Eating sugar (like a bottle of soda) temporarily disables your immune system's ability to function and respond properly for several hours."

This screams quackery to me

Me too, and I can't throw anything at you with 100% certainty, but I can hit you with a lot of "lack of information".

I've been eating keto for the last 18 months (and probably will for the rest of my life). I read a number of forums and participate in discussions about it. I post a fair bit on myfitnesspal answering simple questions for newbies. I eat less than 20 grams of all types of carbs a day. Many days I eat less than 10g carbs. Many of these people demonize sugar in every way imaginable. Any article or study that comes out promoting any part of low carb gets jumped on and clung to (clinged to? Whatever!).

So with that background, I think its meaningful that I can't find any history of discussion making this claim, even among this group of people. I subscribe to reddit.com/r/ketoscience, which is a large collection of studies involving negative things about sugar and positive things about low carb, typically, with some questions asked in the mix. Not a single mention of this. In the primary keto subreddit, I searched for "immune system", I found a number of posts from people questioning what happens to the immune system on keto, and read through the comments, and can't find a single reference to this.

Keto is known to lessen inflammation in the body (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18046594 is the first result I found). Anecdotally I see lots of people posting about a significant reduction in joint pain when removing all carbs from their diet, before noteworthy amounts of weight has come off. Maybe someone can take that and turn it into the clickbait headline involving sugar stopping your immune system? :P

[JPhillips]

PING: Dr. Snopes

[Suicane75]

He's a lawyer, not a doctor. Misinformation dispelled!

[JPhillips]

Juris Doctor.

He's both! Misinformation dispelled!

[stevew]

It's funny when this thread is adjacent to the console sales thread.

[stevew]

Dola

Or the mlb thread

[nol]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_misconceptions

[NobodyHere]

So is it possible to fudge a bank statement?

[Umbrella]

Dr. Pepper disagrees 100%.

[Desnudo]

So, my Facebook feed is filled with perfunctory medical one-liners. I HATE them. I want them to burn in fire and die.

Today's: "Eating sugar (like a bottle of soda) temporarily disables your immune system's ability to function and respond properly for several hours."

This screams quackery to me, and yes, I googled this, but I'm seeing conflicting info. I see something about a 1973 study that Dr. Sears references as part of the claim.

I realize I can't end these debates once and for all, I just despise the misinformation spread as fact.

Eating any kind of sugar? Or just sugar in soda? Because pretty much every food has sugar.