Feed a cold?

The adage "feed a cold, starve a fever" dates back to the 1500s, but according to authors Stuart and Doris Flexner in their book Wise Words and Wives' Tales, there has been debate about the actual advice since there are references to both feeding and starving a fever.

The current proverb, with the inclusion of feeding a cold, was recorded for the first time in 1852. The origin and meaning continued to be debated, however. And up until recently, medical professionals put little stock in the phrase.

But about a year ago, scientists in The Netherlands showed in a small study that two chemicals that regulate the immune system reacted significantly to both eating and fasting (feeding and starving). Following a liquid meal given in the laboratory, blood tests showed the subjects had a four-fold increase in the chemical gamma interferon -- a marker that measures immune response to viral infections. So they fed a cold and it worked.

Later, test subjects were given only water and blood tests revealed afterwards that the chemical interleukin-4, a marker for immune response against bacterial infections, had also increased four-fold. So starve a fever.

The Dutch scientists say more research is needed. But in the meantime, chicken soup might not be such a bad idea next time you have a cold, and drink plenty of water if you are unfortunate enough to get the flu.

Resources:

About the origin of the phrase.

Read more about the study at the journals New Scientist and Nature.

January 4, 2003