While we all know that refined sugar is unnatural, many people are unaware of the havoc that it wreaks on the body and immune system. With the sugar industry worth over 100 billion, ingenious marketing and funded research papers are widespread; it is perfectly understandable that we're fooled into believing that sugary vitamin C drinks and "zero cholesterol" breakfast cereals are beneficial to us.

Alarmingly, I have seen many families stock-piling pastries, biscuits and frozen desserts to enjoy at home during the enforced Coronavirus quarantine period. Sugar is a potent immune system suppressor, putting your white blood cells (WBC) into a temporary coma and making it easy for pathogens to establish themselves in your system. This reduction in immune functionality occurs even after the ingestion of one dose of glucose, and lasts for hours.

A large study carried out in the 70s revealed that the phagocytic capacity of neutrophils (a type of WBC) is alarmingly lower after consumption of a moderate dose of sugar. These cells become sluggish, simply not responding to the bacteria or viruses introduced (Sanchez et al., 1973).

Since the Coronavirus is capable of rendering vulnerable individuals incapacitated, we must all completely eliminate sugar from our diets so as to avoid a). falling ill ourselves or b). being silent carriers for long periods of time and endangering our loved ones.

Feel free to stock up on fresh fruit and vegetables, but do not be tempted to guzzle pints of juice for added vitamin C. Even if no extra sugar is added, the high post-prandial rise in fructose that occurs after drinking juice will pose an inflammatory burden on your body and weaken your immunity.