I hate to admit it, but I really don’t pay much attention to news about immune system-boosting foods. Acai berries, kefir, turmeric, apple cider vinegar … the list goes on. There’s little doubt that almost all of these things are good for you–but it seems pretty unrealistic to load your diet with them daily, let alone weekly, in order to actually reap their virus- and infection-thwarting benefits.
But new immunity research from the the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston caught my attention–if only because it’s completely practical. Researchers discovered that cutting calories prompts the body to have a positive immune response. Researchers asked a group of overweight men and women to cut their calories either 30 percent (about 800 calories) or 10 percent (about 200 calories) daily over the course of six months. Not only did both groups lose weight–no surprise there–both also boosted their immune system response a whopping 30 to 50 percent. What’s especially great is that the group that reduced their calories moderately still saw major immunity benefits, proving that it doesn’t take a starvation-like diet to help your body function more efficiently.
What say you? If you get sick often or are prone to infection, would you cut your calorie intake in order to ward off future illness?
–Camille
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Camille
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Interesting study. A 30 to 50 percent boost in immunity is very persuasive (who wouldn’t want that?), but I don’t think I’d do it. Counting calories makes me want to eat everything in sight. I’m just not good at it. But for people who don’t mind counting calories, it would be an interesting experiment, especially because you don’t have to cut too many of them to see results.