Wednesday, July 22nd 2026
A new study suggests that what people eat during the day, even just for lunch, can affect how our immune system responds to infections, and this can happen within just a few hours.
Researchers say that timing and the way we eat can play an important role in the body’s response to disease.
In the study, scientists analyzed blood samples from 31 people before breakfast and then six hours later, after they had eat breakfast and lunch. The result: T cells, an important type of immune cell, were better prepared to fight infections after eating compared to when people were sober, reports Scientific American.
The results were published in the journal Nature.
According to the study’s lead author, Greg Delgoffe of the University of Pittsburgh, the T cells after eating were “more functional.”
“They were better at doing the tasks that T cells normally do,” he said. he.
T cells (T lymphocytes) are like the “soldiers” of the immune system. They stay in the body and react when they detect viruses, bacteria or even cancer cells. When they identify a danger, they are activated and multiply to fight infection.
In this study, these cells were more active and stronger after a meal.
Further experiments in mice showed that the type of food also matters.
A diet higher in fat, in this case corn oil, seemed to help strengthen the T cells more, compared to diets high in carbohydrates or protein.
However, the researchers stress that this doesn’t mean people need to consume large amounts of fat to avoid disease.
“We don’t want someone to start drinking a pint of corn oil,” Delgoffe said.
What the study suggests is that a balanced diet, including healthy fats, can help boost the immune response.
Another An interesting finding was that the benefit from food is not only temporary.
T cells that improved after a meal maintained this “advantage” even after a week.
Researchers hope these results will help develop better treatments, including cancer therapies and ways to improve the effect of vaccines.
“We are very excited about the next steps,” he concluded.
Source: prizrenpost
