We asked experts to give us the lowdown on the popular adage.
will burn off faster if you, well, fast. With flu season upon us, we couldn’t help but wonder: Is the medical motto fact or fiction?
“The old adage of ‘feed a cold, starve a fever’ started centuries ago when it was believed that colds were brought about by a drop in body temperature,” Albert Ahn, MD, a clinical instructor of internal medicine at NYU Langone Health, tells. The idea was that eating more could help raise the body’s temperature and thus kick the cold.
In fact, feeding a fever might be even more critical than feeding a cold. “When you have a fever, it is essentially increasing your body's temperature to fight an infection and in turn also increasing your metabolism and your body's use of calories,” Dr. Ahn says. “Hence, you would likely benefit from more caloric intake during a fever.”—that result in an increased loss of body fluids, so adequate hydration is equally, if not more, important when suffering from a fever.
So, what’s a sickie to do? “While responding to the need for more calories is important to support the immune system, you don’t need to force yourself to eat,” she says. “Most of us can tap into our energy reserves.” Plus, eatingIf you can’t fathom eating a full meal, prioritize fluids that contain calories, like coconut water or a sports drink, which contain electrolytes.
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