Fasting does not help fight viruses. In this season it is appropriate to postpone the intentions of losing a few extra pounds.
Between Christmas and New Year many of us have overeaten and now we would like to run for cover by putting on a stick.
Be careful, though, because a diet that is too drastic could hurt you and you could end up catching the flu too.
A team of researchers from the University of Michigan, in fact, found that a diet at this time of year increases the risk of flu syndromes.
The research, published in the Journal of Nutrition, was carried out on rats. The animals kept on a diet had a harder time overcoming the flu than those fed normally, because their bodies could not produce enough white blood cells to cope with and eradicate the viral infection.
For them the symptoms were more severe, the convalescence lasted longer and they also lost more weight.
Flu aside, it is always wrong to go from the food excesses of the holidays to a drastic diet or worse to fasting also because in this way you lose especially lean mass and water.
The researchers therefore underline the importance of having an organism “equipped” to defend itself from germs and invite us to postpone any weight loss diets in a few months, with the beginning of spring.
Joycelyn Elders is the author and creator of EmpowerEssence, a health and wellness blog. Elders is a respected public health advocate and pediatrician dedicated to promoting general health and well-being.
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