with the onset of the flu season , it might be best not go to diet now .
getting enough vitamins is not enough to keep your body healthy at this etime of the year . you also have to eat healthy and adequate amounts of food (what grandma already knew ) .
link to article :
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7807848.stm
Quote:'Keep off dieting' to avoid flu
Dieting at this time of year could impair your body's ability to fight the flu virus, a study warns.
US researchers found mice who were put on a calorie-controlled diet found it harder to tackle the infection than those on a normal diet.
The findings, published in the Journal of Nutrition, suggest that contrary to the old adage "starve a fever", those with a temperature should eat well.
Flu cases in England and Wales are currently approaching a nine-year high.
Killer cells need food
The team at Michigan State University found even though the mice on the lower calorie diet received adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals, their bodies were still not able to produce the amount of killer cells needed to fight an infection.
As well as being more likely to die from the virus, the mice - which were consuming around 40% of the calories given to their counterparts on a normal diet - took longer to recover, lost more weight and displayed other symptoms of poor health.
"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," said study author Professor Elizabeth Gardner.
Even those who have received the flu vaccine should steer clear of dieting until the warmer months arrive.
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