A steak dinner on a regular basis can help fight off colds and flu bugs faster
Tucking into a juicy steak on a regular basis could help you fight off cold and flu bugs more quickly, a study shows.
The same applies to other iron-rich foods, such as poultry, spinach, lentils, beans and nuts.
Scientists found when the body is deprived of sufficient iron in the diet, the immune cells in the lungs that should ward off viruses do not function properly.Â
This means they mount only a weak response, allowing cold and flu bugs to stick around for much longer.
The finding, published in the Journal of Immunology, comes as the NHS braces for what’s expected to be the worst flu season in nearly a decade.
Last week, health service data revealed that there are 50 percent more flu patients in hospital than this time last year.
The surge has been made worse by the fact that only around half those eligible for the flu jab this year have actually had the vaccine.
Researchers at Columbia University in the US studied how iron deficiency in mice affected the performance of the immune system when it came up against a flu virus.Â
They found that T-cells – one of the immune system’s main weapons against invading organisms – failed to make a protein called interferon gamma if not enough iron was available.
The protein is essential for mounting a robust response to viruses.
Scientists said it’s crucial to get enough iron ahead of a viral infection to ‘prep’ the immune cells for an attack, so eating a diet containing plenty of it should help to bolster the immune system.
Iron deficiency is thought to affect around eight per cent of women and three per cent of men in the UK.
Research leader Dr Thomas J. Connors, assistant professor of paediatrics at Columbia University, said: ‘This research could lead to new dietary interventions to support healthy T-cell function and strengthen protection against infections.’
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