Is it true that … you should feed a cold and starve a fever?
A professor of medicine weighs in on the old wives tale, and discusses the fastest routes to recovery
Tom Wilkinson, professor of respiratory medicine at the University of Southampton, says there is some truth to this age-old saying. When you get a respiratory viral infection, otherwise known as a cold, your immune system is activated, he explains. Your ability to fight it off depends on how strong your system’s responses are – and you need to be fuelled up in order to respond well.
“Activated immune cells are among the most metabolically demanding – they take a lot of energy from the body,” Wilkinson says. That means you ideally need to be consuming nutrient-dense, calorie-rich foods. He refers to an experiment in which randomised volunteers were either given a liquid meal or starved for 24 hours. Those who were fed displayed a more robust immune system.
Continue reading...
Read more at The Guardian
Topics
-
Clark gives ringing endorsement of Fever offseason
The Indiana Fever welcomed DeWanna Bonner on Monday, and Caitlin Clark was there to give a ringing endorsement of the offseason moves.ESPN - 2h -
Prolapse, tearing, pain: a urogynecologist on what you should know before giving birth
Dr Jocelyn Fitzgerald, who specializes in disorders of the pelvic floor, is ‘begging women to learn’ the physical risks and changes that accompany childbirth. A lot of patients who come to see Dr ...The Guardian - 8h -
Quitting bad habits cold turkey makes you 'miserable,' says Buddhist neuroscientist—use these 3 steps instead
Trying to quit a bad habit cold turkey, or replace it with another habit, doesn't work, says Brown University neuroscientist Judson Brewer. Here's his advice.CNBC - 1d -
Post Office tussles with UK government over ‘drip feed’ funding
State-owned company at centre of Horizon scandal struggling to secure long-term finance deal, say sourcesFinancial Times - 1d -
How much should you pay to do your taxes? Maybe nothing — if you qualify for free tax prep.
Major tax-prep providers like Intuit’s TurboTax and H&R Block say they can do “simple” federal income-tax returns for free. The IRS also has two different free filing options equipped for these ...MarketWatch - 2d -
Directors’ Deals: US deal sparks Fever-Tree buying
Share price rises 20 per cent as the tie-up is announcedFinancial Times - 3d -
Adobe’s New AI Promises to Help Your Company Tackle Tricky Contract Language. Should You Let It?
AI has taken big steps into the realm of legalese. Now, Adobe’s new tool is meant to strip the mystery from complex contractual language.Inc. - 4d -
Why you should be rooting for the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX
"Fly, Eagles, Fly" has a nice ring to it, but Philadelphia is a bit of a throwback. If you are tired of the shotgun and passing it every down, this team is for you.Yahoo Sports - 4d
More from The Guardian
-
Middle East crisis live: Trump says Gaza ceasefire should be cancelled if hostage release delayed
US president said it was ultimately up to Israel but he warned that ‘all hell is going to break out’ if the remaining hostages aren’t released on Saturday. Trump’s comments that all “hell will ...The Guardian - 7m -
Elon Musk-led group makes surprise bid of nearly $100bn for OpenAI
Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO and co-founder, responded that he would not accept and offered to buy X instead. Elon Musk escalated his feud with OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman on Monday. The billionaire ...The Guardian - 2h -
Trump announces 25% tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum
Modified US duties will be enforced ‘without exceptions’, said president, in controversial bid to boost economy. Why Trump tariffs will be ‘very bad for America and for the world’ US politics ...The Guardian - 1h -
AI chatbots distort and mislead when asked about current affairs, BBC finds
Most answers had ‘significant issues’ when researchers asked services to use broadcaster’s news articles as source. Leading artificial intelligence assistants create distortions, factual ...The Guardian - 1h -
Macron touts Europe and trolls Trump at Paris AI summit
‘Choose Europe and France for AI,’ says president amid speculation US and UK playing hardball over declaration. Emmanuel Macron touted Europe and France as artificial intelligence powerhouses, amid ...The Guardian - 4h
More in World
-
Middle East crisis live: Trump says Gaza ceasefire should be cancelled if hostage release delayed
US president said it was ultimately up to Israel but he warned that ‘all hell is going to break out’ if the remaining hostages aren’t released on Saturday. Trump’s comments that all “hell will ...The Guardian - 7m -
New Zealand Rugby launches legal action against Ineos over sponsorship
Ineos accused of ‘breaching agreement’ on six-year deal Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s company has sponsored NZR since 2022 New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has launched legal action against Ineos after the ...The Guardian - 25m -
US justice department official seeks dismissal of charges against Eric Adams
Federal prosecutors ordered to drop charges against New York mayor, who has cultivated relationship with Trump. A top official at the US Department of Justice has ordered federal prosecutors to ...The Guardian - 42m -
Bus Plunges off Bridge in Guatemala City, Killing at Least 53
The bus collided with other vehicles on a main bridge in Guatemala’s capital before falling into a ravine early Monday morning.The New York Times - 1h -
NHS leaders call for use of private finance to build hospitals
NHS Confederation says such funding is needed to fix dilapidated infrastructureFinancial Times - 1h