Feed a Cold, Starve a Fever

With the start of Fall comes the start of cold and flu symptoms. So just how much truth is there in the adage, “Feed a Cold and Starve a Fever”?

Well scientists at the Academic Medical Center in Amesterdam conducted a small study to see if alcohol had any effect on the immune system. What they found out suprised them: alcohol had no effect but eating actually stimulated T-cells, those very same cells used in fighting viral infections, while not eating stimulated antibodies that fight bacterial infections. 

Since the common cold is a viral infection, eating actually stimulates the body’s defense mechanisms to fight the virus.  If on the other hand you’ve been diagnosed with a bacterial infection, not eating (always drink plenty of fluids) will help you overcome a bacterial infection.

To find out more about this study, check out this short, interesting article in The New Scientist.