Sugar and joint pain

get_fit2009

I was wondering if anyone else has noticed a correlation between sugar consumption and aching joints. I was eating "clean" for quite a long time and working out with no joint pain. I had previously had knee and ankle issues, but they had subsided. For the last 2 months, my appetite has gone crazy and I have eaten whatever I want - which is not good. (This is why I am also back to this site. ) SInce starting to eat sugar and junk food again, a notice a tremendous difference in the aches and pains I am having. It is really surprising how big a difference it has made. Anyone else have anything similar happen?

dlcam61

I have fibromyalgia. My previous specialist warned me about sugar because it is an inflammatory food. Over consumption of carbs can produce the same effect (as in white flour foods). So yes, I can tell you from experience that sugar makes my joints hurt like hell. If I am restricting just refined sugars I notice an improvement. But if I take a week and eat what I want, I'm in pain. I wish I could give you more detailed information as to why, but this is all I have for the time being. But I do know other people with fibromyalgia who would tell you the same thing about sugar. It's our no no food lol :flowerforyou:

ladybug91254

I thought this was very interesting because I have a knee (and foot) issue. My knee had been bothering me very very little even though I had been increasing my walking (speed & incline). However, yesterday it was killing me all day long...I ate waaay more sugar on Thursday than I normally have been eating in a week...or even two. Might be something to watch. Thanks!

Deb

get_fit2009

Glad to know it is not just in my head. :laugh:

cmw9696

alot of carbs bother my joints, especially oatmeal...weird...so, I don't eat oatmeal for that reason.

ObviousIndigo

I find sugar and carbs are a catalyst to all sorts of problems with me. From retaining water to aching joints. I found out that I am Gluten intolerant 3 years ago and I lost a lot of weight but then I was introduced to gluten free processed foods. I started to realize that the leading ingredient in a lot of these products was sugar or carbs that turn into sugars.... So I have cut those out and gone to basic whole foods. I feel so much better and my body doesnt ache the way it did before. I am really starting to grasp the whole concept of you are what you eat.

amg_89

This is a great motivator for me to not eat sugar! I run distance and have noticed when I eat cereal like Cinnamon Life (my fave) or something sugary the day before, my joints are sooo sore. I really don't want to cut out sugar totally, but I will definitely start watching my refined sugar intake. Thanks for this!

HealthyChanges2010

I've read and experienced it first hand (unfortunately) that eating excess sugar (or even not in excess for some) causes inflammation which would definitely affect the joints.:frown:

SyreetaJayne1

I have also noticed that when I'm consuming alot of sugar (enriched foods & sugars) I have trouble with my knees and I break out more, heal a lot slower, etc. When I started on myfitnesspal and cut out almost all of these foods my body immediately began to heal, no more knee pain, breakouts, and an infection I'd had for a while started to clear up really fast! Related? I definitely think so!!

get_fit2009

Thank you all for your input! I think this is an excellent kick to my rear to get back on the healthy wagon and stay away from sugar and junk in general!

HealthyChanges2010

Even though I'd read this and felt it was true for me I'm so glad so many of you spoke up and shared. That way I really do know it's not just me imagining it but that something else IS going on when I make less than healthy choices.
Thank you

HealthyChanges2010

Thank you all for your input! I think this is an excellent kick to my rear to get back on the healthy wagon and stay away from sugar and junk in general!

Indeed it is!:drinker:

hjorden

This is why I drink water or unsweetened tea. Sugar is bad for you and artificial sweeteners are bad for you.

gemdews

I also have trouble with any refined sugars, even small amounts affect my joints :-(

stephstang1

Take a look at this research done to support this. http:\\jointpain.insulitelabs.com/how dietary-sugars-damage-joints
This explains how this happens. I have felt the same way and consider sugar as the culprit to several joint and other inflammation issues.

emy200

Me too If I eat to much junk food, my body aches all over with flu like symptoms. I am not sure if it is artificial coloring / flavoring or the sugar.

BreezyDays

I too have Fibromyalgia. I am currently working on the Paleo diet and it does help. I avoid sugar, sugar substitutes, wheats and processed foods as much as possible and try to stick with proteins and veggies. I always know when Ive indulged too much.
What has made me feel better along with the diet is strength training which helps me sleep better and raises my metabolism to help me melt the weight off. I also take supplements to help inflammation.

tinasawyer

i was so glad to find/read all your responses. i have been having joint pain/flu like symptoms all day today (even just took my temp b/c feels like a low grade fever) and then i thought about the amount of sugar i ate yesterday. ugh!!! thanks everyone!

tinasawyer

this is exactly how i feel today, and i am thinking it was due to the amount of sugar i ate yesterday....

jkbeer7

Sugar is definitely a trigger for pain. When I used to drink a Coke daily, my body would hurt so badly. I do not drink them anymore and notice a big difference in the way I feel. I do have to stay away from most sugars or my arthritis will flare.

mimmom1000

I just googled Sugar and Joint Pain and it brought me here. I've been feeling HORRIBLE. Then yesterday I didn't eat refined sugar in the morning and I had a really amazing morning. Later in the day I had ice cream with some chocolate sprinkles my husband got me from The Netherlands. I usually hate sprinkles but not these. Of course he HAD to go and order me TWO huge boxes and I've eat most of one in a week. This morning I'm just have an almond butter and banana sandwich on gluten free bread and some cocoa with stevia as the sweetener. I feel pretty good. I'll have to see how the rest of the day goes, but I've noticed this before and really didn't want to believe it. I believe it really does make a difference.

lillianwinstongilliam

I too have been eating clean for the past three months and just this last week or so, I have been eating whatever I wanted-- whenever I wanted--which means I have been consuming way too much sugar. I tried to think what have I done that's different and I knew right away that it was my sugar consumption. My knee,and ankle hurt somenting awful and yesterday I had a headache that kept me home from work--I have not had such a headache since I have been eating clean. SUGAR--Just say No!!!!

hubn8147

Bump

bombshellcertification

THis is so interesting to find this morning, as I just posted about feeling achy and overall fatiqued in general lately, have been not as conscious about sugar....I do think there is correlation, also started eating oatmeal again & more carbs--pasta whole wheat....so back to the drawing board...just to notice and hear other's reports makes my eyebrow raise as I continue forward.

rawl58

I too have noticed a link between joint pain and eating refined/concentrated sugar. If I indulge in "sweets" (cake, cookies etc), I will ache all over for a couple of days. I have only recently discovered that I am affected this way and it may not be so for everyone. I had assumed that I felt joint pain due to excess weight and a family history of arthritis. While those factors contribute to joint pain (particularly the hips, knees and ankles), sugar plays a huge role in how I feel.

This past spring, I gave up sweets for Lent. This meant no candy, cake, cookies, sugar drinks etc. for six weeks. After a little while, I noticed that climbing stairs and moving about was easier and less painful. I had lost a few pounds, so I thought that was why. About a month into the season, a pizza sized cookie was brought to a club meeting to celebrate someone's birthday. I gave in to the temptation and ate a piece, put it on my MFP tracker and ate a very light supper that night. I went to bed feeling OK, but woke the next morning with my whole body stiff and with painful joints. It took most of the day for me to put two and two together and figure out that it possibly was caused by the large cookie. I ached for a few days and then felt better. Since then if I indulge, I have similar results.

I have always had a "sweet tooth" but it looks like it has caught up with me. I don't know if whole food sugars (fruits, grains) cause me any problems - I haven't yet been willing to give them up to find out. I just know that I do feel much better if I avoid those processed/refined/concentrated sugar goodies.

How did you conclude that this is a problem for you?

thyme4

I see this topic has been around for a while, but felt like I wanted to add my experience. About 16 months ago I decided to restrict my overall sugar consumption in order to assess its impact on pain and stiffness in my feet. I take several dance and yoga classes a week, and had been reaching a point where I was worried that I wasn't going to be able to continue. I happened to meet a dance teacher who had been diagnosed with arthritis in her feet and as a result of that discussion, started doing some research.

I started looking into connections between diet and inflammation and came up with a list of "likely suspects" and the one that stood out to me was sugar. Yes, I ate other things (potatoes, glutens, etc) on the list but the thing I ate the most of was sugar, so that was where I started.

As many others have recounted, I found a direct link between sugar consumption and the pain in my feet. I experienced complete reversal of symptoms within a month, and on top of that found that my cravings for foods (of all types) were diminished as well. And it was so effective, I never even bothered eliminating the other items from my diet.

There are lots of nay-sayers on the sugar issue here in MFP, but this is my one deviation from the IIFYM rule. I limit my consumption of sugar carbs from all sources to around 35g per day. I find at this level I don't experience joint pain, I don't have crazy cravings, and my blood sugar levels stay stable without having to eat every few hours. Wish I'd made this connection years ago.

gabriellebklyn

Thank you, all! I just googled "joint pain from sugar" and found this thread and it has been SO helpful. I am in so much pain today, and I just needed confirmation that it was the damn sugar I ate yesterday. Now I'm sure. Everything HURTS. Part of the sugar yesterday was that I drank a glass of red wine -- I wasn't sure how I would feel; now I know. But I also ate a very small bowl of almond-milk ice cream (made with cane sugar) and ate half a dark-chocolate bar, which calculated to 7g of sugar. Still, it was all sort-of healthy and I thought maybe I wouldn't feel it much, but today I am IN PAIN.

The confusing thing for me is that before I started eating clean (mostly paleo) just a few months ago, I ate a pretty sugar-and-carb-filled diet -- and my body never hurt this much. It's only now that I've cleaned up my diet completely, that sugar causes me such pain. Does anyone else have this experience? I'd love to hear. Thank you. (My stomach always hurt, and my digestion sucked, my energy was terrible, but my joints didn't use to hurt.)

Kate7294

Hmm... bumping for thought.

Canteatmanyfoods

gabriellebklyn wrote: »

. (My stomach always hurt, and my digestion sucked, my energy was terrible, but my joints didn't use to hurt.)

I have been battling food issues for 5+ years. If you have all of the symptoms above then it was only a matter of time before your joints started hurting. Mine started with stomach pain and inflammation (was on prilosec for years) but then came debilitating daily migraines, light sensitivity, anxiety, no energy, etc, etc... I went gluten free which helped with headaches and some other symptoms. Kicking the sugar/carbs has been a struggle so I still have the symptoms you noted but they come and go depending on how bad I have been. I have been a sugar/carb junkie my whole life. I have the will power to ditch sugar/carbs but I am just hungry non stop when I limit or eliminate all carbs. Caffeine messes with me badly too.

One other interesting thing: I am much more prone to joint injury while working out when I am bad with limiting carbs leading up to a workout.....

Beploveshomer

Yep. I was eating a sickening amount of sugar in a day and had problems with my hips and elbows, but I didn't think they were linked, UNTIL I drastically reduced my sugar. Pretty much the only sugar I consume now is dry red wine, and my elbow pain seems to have *poof* dissappeared and hips too.

Beploveshomer

thyme4 wrote: »

I see this topic has been around for a while, but felt like I wanted to add my experience. About 16 months ago I decided to restrict my overall sugar consumption in order to assess its impact on pain and stiffness in my feet. I take several dance and yoga classes a week, and had been reaching a point where I was worried that I wasn't going to be able to continue. I happened to meet a dance teacher who had been diagnosed with arthritis in her feet and as a result of that discussion, started doing some research.

I started looking into connections between diet and inflammation and came up with a list of "likely suspects" and the one that stood out to me was sugar. Yes, I ate other things (potatoes, glutens, etc) on the list but the thing I ate the most of was sugar, so that was where I started.

As many others have recounted, I found a direct link between sugar consumption and the pain in my feet. I experienced complete reversal of symptoms within a month, and on top of that found that my cravings for foods (of all types) were diminished as well. And it was so effective, I never even bothered eliminating the other items from my diet.

There are lots of nay-sayers on the sugar issue here in MFP, but this is my one deviation from the IIFYM rule. I limit my consumption of sugar carbs from all sources to around 35g per day. I find at this level I don't experience joint pain, I don't have crazy cravings, and my blood sugar levels stay stable without having to eat every few hours. Wish I'd made this connection years ago.

Yep!