Low calorie diet is dangerous in the cold season

Low calorie diet is dangerous in the cold season
Scientists from the University of Michigan (United States) found that people are adhering to the diet, and those who eat low-calorie food, the most at risk of falling ill ARI.

In the experiment, mice receiving low food, in the first days after infection died from the disease more frequently than mice receiving a normal diet. Caloric food restriction consider reducing calories by 40% compared with a normal diet, while maintaining the normal amount of vitamins and minerals.

«If you met with your body to strangers virus, the immune system has no antibodies to it, so the body is protected with the help of special cells that kill germs. These cells, called natural killer, it is very important in the early stages of infection control. Calculate the body infected cells, they quickly come to the fight. According to our data, loses calories animals are especially vulnerable to influenza infection, their immune system can not work out enough to combat the number of natural killer », - said nutritsiolog Elizabeth Gardner.

During the infection mouse initially received little calories, more pain, stronger than losing weight and often die of infection.
«From this experiment it can be concluded that prepared for the meeting with a virus the body faster and with fewer losses to cope with infection. Adults can limit their calorie food for eight months of the year, but in those four months, which coincide with the season of colds, it is better to return to nutritious food. To cope with the additional stress, such as infection, the body needs additional reserves », - explains Elizabeth Gardner.

According to other studies, scarce food prolongs the life of all organisms, from yeast and fungi to primates. The authors of the experiment believed that the received data can be transferred to certain groups of people such as children and elderly people who eat little but often take vitamins.

Immunization, of course, protect against influenza, but they are designed only for certain types of virus, while a person may encounter a completely different variety.

Currently, Elizabeth Gardner is studying the mechanisms underlying the deterioration of immunity with low nutrition. Her research in the field of immunology nutritsionnoy may help in understanding how food affects the human immune system and in what circumstances, the organism most resistant to infection.