u/Tony963

I am 23 and I've been avoiding added/refined sugar because for around 7 years I've noticed a strange reaction whenever I consume a significant amount of it.

I can experience:

• significant fatigue
• feeling unusually hot or almost feverish
• increased sweating
• irritability
• burning or irritation in my nose
• stuffy nose and increased mucus
• feeling like I'm coming down with a cold

The symptoms can appear relatively soon after consuming it.

Interestingly, fructose from fruit doesn't seem to cause the same reaction. It mainly happens with foods and drinks containing added/refined sugar.

I've had this investigated by doctors because I also tend to feel like I'm getting colds quite often. I've had blood tests including immune system testing, and everything was normal. I was told there was no evidence of an immune deficiency. Allergy testing was also negative, and testing for histamine intolerance was normal.

I've also noticed that getting less sleep makes me much more likely to develop these cold-like symptoms. After consuming a lot of added sugar, I can sometimes feel more tired than usual even the following day.

I've been avoiding added sugar because I feel much better without it, but I'd still really like to understand what is actually causing this reaction rather than simply avoiding sugar forever. It's honestly frustrating not knowing what is causing it, especially after having it investigated and still not getting a clear explanation.

Has anyone experienced something similar? What could cause added sugar to trigger such a strong reaction, especially the fatigue, feeling hot/sweating and cold-like nasal symptoms?

Age: 23
Sex: Male
Height: 180 cm
Weight: 85 kg
Medications: None
Smoking: No

I've had a strange reaction to added/refined sugar for around 7 years, and I'm trying to understand what could be causing it.

After consuming a significant amount of added/refined sugar, I can experience:

• significant fatigue
• feeling unusually hot or feverish
• increased sweating
• irritability
• burning or irritation in my nose
• nasal congestion and increased mucus
• a general feeling that I'm coming down with a cold

The symptoms can appear relatively soon after consuming it.

Interestingly, fruit doesn't seem to cause the same reaction. The symptoms seem to occur mainly after foods and drinks containing added/refined sugar.

I've had allergy and immunology testing because I often experience these cold-like symptoms. My blood count, immunoglobulins and lymphocyte subsets were normal, and I was told there was no evidence of an immune deficiency. Food allergy testing was also negative.

I've also been evaluated by ENT because of my chronic nasal symptoms. The endoscopic examination was normal, but they suspected vasomotor/non-allergic rhinitis. My DAO level was normal as well.

I've noticed that when I don't get enough sleep, these cold-like symptoms also seem to occur more easily.

I'm not trying to claim that sugar is "weakening my immune system." I'm trying to understand whether there could be a physiological explanation for this reaction.

Could this be related to metabolism, digestion, a reaction to another component of the food/drink, or something else? What kind of testing or specialist would make sense to investigate this?

Has anyone experienced something similar, particularly the combination of fatigue, feeling hot/sweating, and nasal congestion or mucus after consuming added sugar?

Age: 23
Sex: Male
Height: 180 cm
Weight: 85 kg
Medications: None
Smoking: No

I've had a strange reaction to added/refined sugar for around 7 years, and I'm trying to understand what could be causing it.

After consuming a significant amount of added/refined sugar, I can experience:

• significant fatigue
• feeling unusually hot or feverish
• increased sweating
• irritability
• burning or irritation in my nose
• nasal congestion and increased mucus
• a general feeling that I'm coming down with a cold

The symptoms can appear relatively soon after consuming it.

Interestingly, fruit doesn't seem to cause the same reaction. The symptoms seem to occur mainly after foods and drinks containing added/refined sugar.

I've had allergy and immunology testing because I often experience these cold-like symptoms. My blood count, immunoglobulins and lymphocyte subsets were normal, and I was told there was no evidence of an immune deficiency. Food allergy testing was also negative.

I've also been evaluated by ENT because of my chronic nasal symptoms. The endoscopic examination was normal, but they suspected vasomotor/non-allergic rhinitis. My DAO level was normal as well.

I've noticed that when I don't get enough sleep, these cold-like symptoms also seem to occur more easily.

I'm not trying to claim that sugar is "weakening my immune system." I'm trying to understand whether there could be a physiological explanation for this reaction.

Could this be related to metabolism, digestion, a reaction to another component of the food/drink, or something else? What kind of testing or specialist would make sense to investigate this?

Has anyone experienced something similar, particularly the combination of fatigue, feeling hot/sweating, and nasal congestion or mucus after consuming added sugar?