Dieters may struggle to fight the flu virus

WASHINGTON: Dieters who are on calorie-restricted diets during flu season are more susceptible to influenza, says a new study by US researchers.
    Michigan State University nutritional immunology professor Elizabeth Gardner conducted the research, which has been published in the November issue of the Journal of Nutrition.
    In the study, the researcher showed that mice with a calorierestricted diet were more likely to die during the first few days of infection than mice with a normal diet.
    Caloric restriction is the practice of reducing the intake of calories to 40 per cent of a normal diet, while maintaining adequate vitamins and minerals.
    "Our studies show that calorically-restricted mice have increased susceptibility to influenza, and their bodies are not prepared to produce the amount of natural killer cells needed to combat the stress of fighting an infection," Gardner said.
    In her research, both regularly fed mice and caloricallyrestricted mice exposed to the virus exhibited decreased food intake as they tried to fight off the infection.
    The mice on calorically-restricted diets, however, took longer to recover and exhibited increased mortality, weight loss and other negative effects.
    Even though both sets of mice had a diet fortified with appropriate vitamins, the mice consuming normal amounts of food had their appetites back sooner and recovered faster.
    "Our research shows that having a body ready to fight a virus will lead to a faster recovery and less-severe effects than if it is calorically restricted," Gardner said.
    "Adults can calorically restrict their diet eight months out of the year, but during the four months of flu season, they need to bump it up to be ready. You need the reserves so that your body is ready for any additional stress, including fighting a virus," the expert added. ANI