Feed a Fever
Feed a Fever, Starve a Cold ?
A new study finds there is truth in the folk advice to "feed a fever and starve a cold". Researchers at Yale University looked at the effects of providing nutrients during infection. They found opposing effects depending on whether the infections were bacterial or viral. Mice with bacterial infections that were fed died, while those with viral infections who were fed lived.
We were surprised at how profound the effects of feeding were, both positive and negative," says senior author Ruslan Medzhitov, Professor of Immunobiology and at Yale School of Medicine. "Anorexia -- not eating -- is common behavior during sickness that is seen in people and all kinds of animals.