Feed a cold, starve a fever?
An English old wives' tale advises us to "feed a cold and starve a fever." Here we report that the nutritional status modulates the T helper 1 (Th1)-Th2 balance of activated T cells in human volunteers. Food intake resulted in increased levels of gamma interferon production, whereas food deprivation stimulated interleukin-4 release.
van den Brink
Gijs R
GR
Laboratory for Experimental Internal Medicine, Academic Medical Center, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands. g.r.vandenbrink@amc.uva.nl
van den Boogaardt
Daniëlle E M
DE
van Deventer
Sander J H
SJ
Peppelenbosch
Maikel P
MP
D000328:Adult; D004435:Eating; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000502:physiology*
D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma