Growing up, Halloween was always one of my favorite holidays. Ghost, Vampires, Scary Movies, Pumpkins, and Thriller playing in the background. What is there not to love? I would dress up at school and then go home and trick-or-treat. I love trick or treating, and all the Hersheys, Nerds, M&Ms, and Kit Kats make it better. However, as soon as I woke up the next day, my candy would always disappear. When asking my mom where it went, she told me that a werewolf stole it. I always resented that werewolf deeply when I was in elementary school and would even try to hide my candy so that the werewolf wouldn’t get it. But somehow the werewolf found it. However, as new research finds, maybe the werewolves ended up helping my overall health in the long run.
The gut is an essential component of our bodies. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the gut is the region inside your intestines. The gut contains a unique microbiome of trillions of microscopic organisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. As the Cleveland Clinic puts it, “ your gut microbiome is a diverse native garden that you rely on for nutritious foods and medicines. When your garden is healthy and thriving, you thrive, too. But if the soil is depleted or polluted, or if pests or weeds are overrunning the helpful plants, it can upset your whole ecosystem”. Research has shown that bacteria in your gut can help break down complex fibers that you can’t break down on your own, and in the process, they release nutrients as a byproduct. They even help with certain vitamin synthesis, help metabolize bile (which helps reduce cholesterol), help train your immune system with 80% of your body’s immune cells, your nervous system, and even your endocrine system. Your gut relaxes polyphenols and metabolites, which influence metabolism, help your body, protect against infection, and support brain health. Your microbiome can be influenced by the environment, but most importantly, your diet can influence your microbiome.
A balanced diet with carbohydrates, proteins, and fruits and vegetables can keep your gut working well. But higher concentrations of sugar, saturated fat, and additives like preservatives can start to damage the lining between your gut and the rest of the body. This is known as the gut barrier, and once it is separated, even the good microbes can, according to PBS, “cause health issues ranging from overweight to obesity, infections to autoimmune disease, and mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s”. But what food has high levels of sugar, saturated fat, and additives? Unfortunately, candy is the culprit. More than damaged gut lining, sugar, and inflammation can end up causing immune system. Too much sugar can make the gut unable to identify the difference between good and bad substances. In terms of neurological impacts, too much sugar can affect the production of cognitive performance neurotransmitters like serotonin and butyrate. The lack of neurotransmitters can lead to things like depression, anxiety, and memory issues.
But how much is too much sugar for your body? The American Heart Association recommends no more than 25–36 grams of added sugar per day for most adults (about 6–9 teaspoons). For children, ages 2–15, no more than 25 grams of added sugar per day (6 teaspoons). That’s roughly one York!
Unfortunately, in terms of affecting our gut, not all candy is created equally. Candies like candy corn, Skittles, Starbursts, and Twizzlers are made up of high fructose corn syrup, saturated fat, and additives, which makes them one of the least healthy Halloween choices. Chocolate-basedChocolate based candies like Twix, Three Musketeers, and Milkway are a better microbiome-healthy choice. Also, pure sugar candies like lollipops, Jolly Ranchers, gummies, and Smarties are not a good choice. Choosing a dark chocolate candy is better today because “In moderation, dark chocolate with at least 80 percent to 85 percent cacao may even benefit your gut microbiome and mood by encouraging beneficial bacterial species to grow”. Nuts are good too! Preferably whole nuts, but processed nuts like Reeses and Butterfingers are good, as they are beneficial to the microbiome.
At the end of the day, all candies have high sugar, which is harmful not only to our gut but for the heart, digestive system, and brain. Make sure this Halloween to consume candy in moderation. While a sweet treat is yummy every once in a while, maybe leave some candy out for the werewolf. With a healthy cut, you will have a happy Halloween long after the season ends.
Works cited:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/a-gut-doctor-explains-the-link-between-halloween-candy-and-your-gut-microbiome
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/25201-gut-microbiome
