Can Skittles make you sick? (5 Ingredients that can)

In this brief guide, we will answer the question, can Skittles make you sick? We will discuss the impact of Skittles on the health of people with celiac disease and the impact of high quantities of sugar and trans fat on the human body. 

Can Skittles make you sick?

Skittles can make you sick especially if you either have a sensitive stomach or an allergy to one or more of the ingredients. 

Skittles are junk food and must be consumed in minute quantities. The main ingredients of Skittles are sugar, corn syrup, and food coloring. 

The huge quantities of sugar and corn syrup in Skittles can make you sick. People who have problems with blood glucose levels, such as those with hyperglycemia or diabetes will have a negative reaction to it. 

Food colorings can also affect a person’s immune response. A person who is allergic to any of the ingredients in Skittles will feel worse after eating them. 

Can Skittles make you sick if you have celiac disease?

If you have Celiac disease then Skittles can potentially make you sick. Even though Skittles are gluten-free, eating them can cause you to feel heavy and nauseated. 

The corn syrup in Skittles can make you react to the ingredient, causing a disturbance in your stomach. The sugar and corn syrup can cause distress to your body as it reacts to a surge in blood glucose levels.

Another ingredient in Skittles is Dextrin that is used as a thickener or a foam stabilizer, which is derived from either wheat or corn; it can also make somebody with celiac suffer from an allergic reaction.

People who have celiac have reported feeling sick; getting cramps and having gastrointestinal problems. High fructose corn syrup in Skittles and other candies such as starburst, and jelly beans can aggravate the condition of people with celiac disease.

Can Skittles make you sick if they are past the expiration date?

Eating Skittles past its expiration date should not make you sick.

Before you eat expired Skittles check for signs of spoilage such as mold or fungus which will make you sick. However, hard candy or a poor texture will diminish the experience but it should not make you sick.

Skittles have a lot of sugar or sweetener added to them, which makes them shelf-stable. Sugar acts as a moisture binder. As it combines with water molecules, it reduces the water activity levels, hence making it less feasible for bacteria to attack. 

Skittles can last for a decade past their expiration date, if the packet was opened and stored safely, the Skittles should stay safe for eating for a year or two past its expiration date. 

Why should you avoid eating Skittles?

Skittles have 47 g of sugar, contributed by table sugar and corn syrup, which gives it a good enough reason to last for as long as 5 years but also to keep you away from them. 

Skittles also have trans fat in the form of hydrogenated palm kernel oil which piles on the reasons to avoid them. Skittles have 830 Calories per 205 g serving of which 8.4 g are saturated fats.

A diet with high sugar and trans fat is linked to diabetes and cholesterol. Making poor choices can lead to strokes, heart diseases, tooth decay, and obesity. 

The other ingredient Hydrogenated palm kernel oil, which is partially converted to saturated fats is linked to Alzheimer’s disease, colon cancer, high blood pressure, liver dysfunction, and infertility in women.

Artificial flavors can also cause sensitivity in some people. The synthetic mixture can cause headaches, nausea, and drowsiness in some people. 

Skittles also has artificial food coloring including Yellow 6 Lake, Red 40 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake, Blue 2 Lake, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6. Some of the colorings are suspected to be carcinogenic and linked to degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. 

The coloring also possesses a potential risk of causing ADHD in children while thyroid tumors, asthma, and allergic reactions are a potential threat in people of all ages. 

Has anyone been sick after eating Skittles?

In 2014, a news surfaced, reporting that 2 people from Indiana fell very sick after eating Skittles. The couple fell sick with burning throats, diarrhea, and cramping which was later found not associated with eating expired Skittles in any way. 

The bag was analyzed by Food and Drug Authorities which proved Skittles to be free of contamination or any impedance of any sort. 

Conclusions

In this brief guide, we answered the question, can Skittles make you sick? We discussed the impact of Skittles on the health of people with celiac disease and the impact of high quantities of sugar and trans fat.

Citations

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/80813-does-anyone-else-react-to-skittles/

https://time.com/15033/skittles-contamination-hospital/

https://discover.hubpages.com/health/WhatsInMyFoodSkittlesIngredientsExplained

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