Sugar, if consumed in excess, only harms the body. But that dessert after lunch can help treat respiratory illnesses.
Read more: Sugary drinks increase the risk of premature death in women
A study in mice showed how glucose is used to regulate the immune system during a lung infection.
Therefore, the presence of sugar in the bloodstream also helped to reduce the inflammation of diseases such as asthma , allergies and infections.
Research has shown that this is because the lung’s defense cells need energy (which comes from sugar) to fight infectious agents.
The researchers say that other treatments for respiratory diseases can be thought of based on this discovery. They believe that inhaling sugar may, in the future, be recommended to treat cases of asthma and rhinitis .
Despite being optimistic about the results, experts recommend further studies in this area.
The research, done in England by the University of Manchester and the University of Southampton, was published in the journal Nature Immunology.
