A snootful of sugar may be the best medicine for respiratory diseases.
Biologists at Great Britain’s University of Manchester studied the effect of inhaled glucose in mice, and the ability of common sugar to help regulate the immune system during lung inflammation.
Their study, published Monday in the journal Nature Immunology, suggests that the lungs’ macrophages — specialized white blood cells that work like vacuums to clear debris and pathogenic organisms — had unexpected reactions to glucose.
Stimulating the cells with more sugar, scientists say, could help the immune system stave off the bronchial infections that cause coughing fits and pneumonia.
“Respiratory illnesses cause terrible suffering in both the developing and developed world,” says lead researcher Professor Andrew MacDonald. “It’s reasonable to suggest that short-term inhalation therapy might one day work as … a treatment.”
In which case, “nose candy” may take on an entirely new meaning.
Link:https://nypost.com/2019/04/02/snorting-sugar-could-help-fight