Keto Diet Helps Boost Immunity Against Flu Virus
In November 2019, a study previously published in the sub-journal Science found that rats on a keto diet (a more strict low-carb diet) were more resistant to the influenza virus than rats in the high-carb diet group, proving that a keto diet does help boost immunity.
This was led by a team of professors at Yale University just to find out the relationship between diet and the immune system and how the diet responds to pathogens such as the influenza virus. The strict keto mice had 90 percent fat for energy and less than 1 percent carbohydrates.
The researchers found that the keto diet activated a fraction of T cells in the lungs and increased mucus secretion from respiratory cells, which effectively trapped the virus, whereas, in the high-carbohydrate diet group, there was no such response at all.
Of course, this is only a study in mice, and we look forward to more human-related studies. There is already a good theoretical basis for a keto diet to prevent colds and flu, and eating fewer carbohydrates does boost immunity.
Today, I want to take a microscopic look at the full picture of colds and flu, and why diet affects our immunity.
How does a Keto Diet Boost Immunity?
Sugar and Carbohydrates Paralyze the Immune System For 5 Hours
This study, published in 1973 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, focused on the effects of sugar on the phagocytic capacity of white blood cells.
The study had subjects eat large amounts of sugary foods at breakfast, including glucose, fructose, sucrose, orange juice, and honey. The number of neutrophils (a type of white blood cell) in the blood was then observed under a microscope. It was found that sugar and carbohydrates significantly reduced the phagocytic capacity of neutrophils and that this effect lasted for about 5 hours. The inhibition of phagocytosis was strongest 1-2 hours after the meal.
In addition, it was found that the phagocytic index increased significantly after 36 or 60 hours of fasting, suggesting that fasting increases the phagocytic capacity of leukocytes. There may be a reason why your body will make you lose your appetite and automatically eat less after an infection.
High Blood Sugar and Vitamin C Compete and Affect Boost Immunity
In the 1970s, Linus Pauling (double Nobel laureate), discovered that white blood cells need large amounts of vitamin C to engulf bacteria and viruses. When infected with a virus, the body needs large amounts of vitamin C. However, the molecular structures of glucose molecules and vitamin C in the blood are so similar that they compete with each other.
When blood sugar is very high, immune cells will foolishly use some glucose as vitamin C. This is, of course, useless and immune activity will be reduced. When a person’s blood sugar level reaches 6.7, it reduces the phagocytic index of the cells by 75%! This is why we need to keep our blood sugar at 6.7. Therefore, if you eat too much sugar, the immune system will work much less intensely and efficiently.
Sugar Hurts the Gut and Lowers Immunity
About 70% of the cells of the immune system are in the gut, and sugar and refined carbohydrates damage the microbiota in the gut. The “harmful” bacteria in the gut, which are very fond of sugar, slowly feed more “harmful” bacteria and less and less beneficial bacteria when they eat more sugar.
A 2018 study found that sugar directly inhibited the growth of intestinal probiotics in mice. It’s no wonder that people who eat a lot of sugar and high carbohydrates often have intestinal problems, inflammation, and the growth of harmful bacteria.
Low-carb Diet Followed by Increased Protein Improves Immunity
Probably the first of several nutrients most important to immunity is protein because amino acids (the small molecular structure of the broken-down protein) are the raw material for the formation of antibodies. Therefore, you must eat meat, eggs, and dairy products for you to produce enough antibodies.
Conclusion
Sugar weakens immunity, reduces cellular phagocytosis, disrupts intestinal flora, affects vitamin C levels, and lowers the body’s immunity. On the contrary, protein and good fats can boost immunity, so if you want to have a great body, eat more meat and less sugar.