Is the weight you lose when you are sick actually a form of immune “protection”?

In addition to weight loss

Getting sick may also make people lose weight

In the eyes of many people

This is because I can't eat well during illness.

Loss of nutrients

A new study offers a different view:

The body strengthens immunity by losing muscle

Losing weight when you are sick is actually a form of immune "protection"

A recent study published in Cell Reports suggests that weight loss due to illness may be a "protective" response of the body against infection, which enhances the acute immune response by actively consuming a large amount of energy (such as fat and muscle).

When the body is infected, different symptoms usually occur, and a common symptom is the loss of fat and muscle. Therefore, after experiencing a "serious illness", people often become thin.

Scholars from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in the United States have conducted research on the causes of the above problems.

Using mouse models, the study discovered the role of immune cells in fat and muscle loss:

In the event of an infection, fat tissue is lost, but its role in fighting infection is limited. What really works is muscle loss, which binds to specific immune cells and blocks infection.

This process of energy consumption is controllable and short-term limited, but if it continues for a long time, it will aggravate the disease.

Researchers said that diseases such as viral infections, tumors, and chronic infections may exhibit the above mechanism of action.

Why do we need to supplement protein when we are sick?

During illness or when you are recovering from an illness, you may have heard that you need to supplement protein. This is mainly related to the following reasons:

Cold, fever

Replenish lost nutrients

When you have a cold or fever, your body's metabolism will speed up, the decomposition of protein in the body will also speed up, and the excretion of B vitamins will also increase significantly.

In addition, when the human body is relatively weak, the secretion of digestive juice will decrease. It is recommended to supplement nutrition by taking foods rich in high-quality protein such as eggs and fish. These foods are easier to digest and absorb, and contain a variety of essential amino acids for the human body, which helps to enhance the body's resistance to viruses.

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Trauma, wound

Accelerates healing

The human body needs to take in more high-quality protein during the wound recovery period. If the protein intake is insufficient, it will not only affect the wound healing speed, but also increase the risk of infection.

Certain amino acids in high-quality protein have positive effects on wound healing and anti-infection, such as arginine, which can promote muscle tissue growth and enhance immunity.

Foods rich in arginine include seafood, lean meat, poultry, milk and its products; cysteine ​​is also an essential amino acid for wound healing, which is converted from protein in the body; foods rich in protein include fish and eggs.

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Surgery, infection

Repair muscles

When the body undergoes surgery or suffers from an infectious disease, the stored energy substances will be reduced and certain essential amino acids will be lacking, thus affecting muscle formation.

Muscle growth requires the following process: muscle fiber tearing → the body automatically repairs → forming thicker muscle fibers. During the repair process, nutrients such as protein need to be taken in.

When you are sick, there are a few things to note when you eat meat, eggs, fish and other foods to supplement protein:

It is recommended to use relatively healthy cooking methods such as stewing, boiling, and simmering as much as possible, which can reduce the loss of nutrients and reduce the synthesis of harmful chemicals.

For patients with swallowing disorders, caregivers can use refined processing methods to prepare food, such as chopping, long-term high-pressure stewing, and using a blender to blend food into a pulp.

Don't blindly abstain from meat, eggs and dairy products during illness. For some special groups of people, if you are not sure whether certain foods are suitable for you, you can consult a doctor. At the same time, you need to be careful to avoid wrong eating habits that may cause more harm to your body.

Three types of people each have their own "exercise muscle-building method"

Clinically, there are two indicators for assessing muscle level: muscle content and muscle strength. The amount of muscle content can reflect a person's nutritional status, while the strength of muscle strength can reflect a person's athletic ability.

Having abundant muscles can not only improve the body's disease resistance, but also better cope with diseases. Whether you are a healthy person or a patient with a chronic disease, you should choose a muscle-building method that suits you according to your own characteristics.

Low-intensity exercise:

When exercising, the heart rate is maintained at 100-120 beats per minute, and the body feels slightly hot. Walking, walking the dog, doing housework, etc. all fall into this category;

Moderate-intensity exercise:

The heart rate is 130-150 beats per minute. During activities, you can feel sweating, and your breathing is relatively rapid and slightly labored.

High-intensity exercise heart rate:

160 to 170 times per minute, feeling sweaty and breathless.

Healthy young and middle-aged people: moderate to high intensity exercise

Weight training (such as dumbbell exercises) can be performed 2 to 3 times a week, 3 to 5 sets each time, and 10 to 15 repetitions per set.

Do static muscle contraction exercises, which are weight-bearing exercises where you don't move, such as planks.

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It is recommended to control the intensity of exercise at a moderate or medium-high level. It is best to perform weight training with equipment for the first time under the guidance of a professional to avoid injuries due to improper movements.

Frail middle-aged and elderly people: low-intensity exercise

This group of people conduct muscle training mainly to meet their daily mobility needs and prevent diseases such as osteoporosis. The following forms of exercise are recommended:

Middle-aged and elderly people are physically weak, so it is not recommended for them to perform overly intense weight-bearing training with equipment. Instead, they should choose bodyweight training methods that are more suitable for them, such as squats, deep squats, etc.

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Light resistance equipment: For example, with the help of elastic bands, mineral water bottles, etc., the elderly must exercise according to their ability and do not choose static muscle exercises, but should perform strength training during activities.

For example, while walking, hold a mineral water bottle filled with water in both hands and push it upwards.

Patients with more serious conditions: Do what you can and ensure nutrition

This group of people have limited athletic ability and find it difficult to carry out many activities, but they can strengthen their muscles by increasing nutritional intake.

Many major diseases, including cancer, can cause serious damage to the body. As long as you do not have serious digestive tract diseases or chronic diseases such as hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia, you should ensure adequate protein and calorie intake.

The "Nutrition Guidelines for Cancer Patients" recommends that the calorie requirements of cancer patients should be similar to those of healthy people, between 25 and 20 kcal per kilogram of body weight per day, and protein intake should be no less than 1 gram per kilogram of body weight per day.

also

Moderate exercise is also necessary

But you should do it according to your own situation.

Even those patients who cannot exercise a lot

Doing some housework or moving around can also help