Study shows that diet can influence the effectiveness of the flu vaccine

A change in your daily diet before getting the flu vaccine may be beneficial for your immune system response, according to a new study, carried out by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, located in Memphis, Tennessee, in the USA.

The research conducted by Dr. Shultz-Cherry indicated that a low fat diet before the vaccine is administered, it further helps the body fight the flu virus.

In other words, foods like skim milk, lean meats like chicken, whole grains, and fresh fruits and vegetables are the best options.

With a healthier diet, the immune system becomes more prepared to receive the “training” provided by vaccines. Once applied, they induce the body's defense cells to recognize and fight the viral material.

Focusing on people with obesity, the study used 20 overweight mice to administer the flu vaccine, in which half of the rodents were placed on a low-fat diet before receiving the antiviral.

About a month later, the animals were exposed to the flu. The ten mice that followed a healthier diet survived while the rest, who followed a fatty diet, died.

Interestingly, when researchers put a different group of mice on a diet after being vaccinated, the results were not as effective. Only two of the mice that followed the diet survived, the remaining 18 mice died.

“Weight loss can affect vaccine effectiveness, but the timing of weight loss makes a big difference,” Dr. Schultz-Cherry told New Scientist.

However, the researcher still claims that there is a long way to go before assuming that the same will happen to humans.

“Rats, for example, only live for about two years. This means that a month for a mouse would be equivalent to years for a human being,” explained Schultz-Cherry.