1 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:06,360 Speaker 1: Hey, and welcome to the short Stuff. There's Chuck, and 2 00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:09,000 Speaker 1: I'm Josh, and Jerry's here too, sitting in for Dave. 3 00:00:09,119 --> 00:00:10,920 Speaker 1: So this is short stuff. 4 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:16,239 Speaker 2: That's right. Call it Old wives Tale edition because this 5 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:20,040 Speaker 2: is about feeding a cold and starving a fever, which 6 00:00:20,079 --> 00:00:22,240 Speaker 2: is the old wives tale that when you have a cold, 7 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:25,840 Speaker 2: you should, and originally started out as stuff a cold like, 8 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:28,960 Speaker 2: eat as much as you can, and then if you 9 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:31,560 Speaker 2: have a fever you should try and not eat very 10 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 2: much at all. 11 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:35,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, I think most people have heard that, right, that's 12 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:40,440 Speaker 1: a pretty widespread adage. Yeah. Our friends at the Cleveland Clinic, 13 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:43,960 Speaker 1: not normally known for their etymology resources, but they trace 14 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:47,680 Speaker 1: this back at least half of it to fifteen seventy four. 15 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:50,559 Speaker 1: There's a dictionary that was compiled by a guy named 16 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:55,320 Speaker 1: John Wile's and withal said that fasting is a great 17 00:00:55,480 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 1: remedy of fever. So you got the second part right there, 18 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:01,360 Speaker 1: starve a fever, right, And it's as far back as 19 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:04,240 Speaker 1: anyone's trace it, although if you kind of want to 20 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:08,600 Speaker 1: expand your definition of what's being discussed here, you can 21 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:10,759 Speaker 1: trace it all the way back to Hippocrates. Right. 22 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm not sure about this one, he said, the 23 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:17,480 Speaker 2: most most exquisitely slender diet you should have when the 24 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:20,160 Speaker 2: disease is very sharp. So I'm not quite sure what 25 00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:21,959 Speaker 2: disease he's talking about there, So I'm not sure if 26 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:22,640 Speaker 2: that counts. 27 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:26,360 Speaker 1: No, But I mean just the phrase most exquisitely slender 28 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:29,160 Speaker 1: diet sounds awesome, so I thought it was worth putting 29 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:29,559 Speaker 1: in there. 30 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:32,679 Speaker 2: Yeah, for sure. If you look at the current use 31 00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 2: of the term as we know and love it, it 32 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:38,480 Speaker 2: came about in the eighteenth century, pretty late in eighteenth well, 33 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:41,960 Speaker 2: I guess kind of mid in eighteen fifty three. That's 34 00:01:41,959 --> 00:01:46,240 Speaker 2: when they were talking about feed and starve. As far 35 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:47,400 Speaker 2: as cold and fever go. 36 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 1: What's weird, Chuck is I saw that it was this 37 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:54,720 Speaker 1: whole adage that we is, like basically, encouragement is taken 38 00:01:54,760 --> 00:02:00,320 Speaker 1: as an encouragement or advice today was originally taken as 39 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:04,160 Speaker 1: like a warning that if you feed a cold, that 40 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 1: cold will turn into a fever and then you'll have 41 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:09,520 Speaker 1: to starve the fever, like and that the reason that 42 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:12,120 Speaker 1: it was ambiguous is because of that comma in the middle. 43 00:02:12,960 --> 00:02:15,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, that has proved to me that people 44 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:19,799 Speaker 2: back then were dumb a little bit I don't get 45 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:21,800 Speaker 2: that one, but sure, okay. 46 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:24,360 Speaker 1: But well, what was the whole point? I mean, like, 47 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:26,720 Speaker 1: if the what was the idea that was based on 48 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:27,640 Speaker 1: I guess then. 49 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, I guess they were basing it on if you 50 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 2: have a fever, then you don't want to eat hot food. 51 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:34,520 Speaker 2: I guess it didn't need. 52 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:36,400 Speaker 1: A lot of cold foods back then, I guess not. 53 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:38,160 Speaker 1: And if you're. 54 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:39,799 Speaker 2: Cold, you want to warm yourself up because there was 55 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:41,040 Speaker 2: only hot food available. 56 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:44,760 Speaker 1: Sure, that was I think what they think the whole 57 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 1: thing was based on. And regardless of how you slice 58 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:49,360 Speaker 1: it though, how you take it as a warning or 59 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:53,600 Speaker 1: anything like that, it's it's pretty much generally viewed as 60 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:57,079 Speaker 1: not good advice by the medical community today. I say, 61 00:02:57,080 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 1: we take a break and come back and talk about 62 00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:01,760 Speaker 1: how this is not really good advice. How about how 63 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:02,239 Speaker 1: about that? 64 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:29,200 Speaker 3: All right, let's do it. 65 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 1: As s K as good you should know. 66 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:31,919 Speaker 2: Okay, So people have basically always said that this was 67 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 2: a bad idea. There was a writer and Gentlemen's Magazine 68 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:39,600 Speaker 2: in seventeen eighty five that said it was perhaps more 69 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:43,640 Speaker 2: destructive demandkind than the plague itself. This advice, which is 70 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:49,640 Speaker 2: definitely overstating things but people these days say, no, that's 71 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 2: not good advice. First of all, if you have a cold, 72 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:55,520 Speaker 2: you may not want to eat very much. You may 73 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:58,720 Speaker 2: not be very hungry, So like, for God's sake, don't 74 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:02,200 Speaker 2: just make someone stuff themselves full just because they're sick 75 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:05,680 Speaker 2: with a cold. It's not going to do anything for you. 76 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:08,640 Speaker 1: Now, And that's bad enough. But the actual harm is 77 00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:12,440 Speaker 1: in the second part starving a fever, because pretty much 78 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: everybody in the medical community agrees that if you feel 79 00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:18,440 Speaker 1: hungry while you're sick, you should go ahead and eat, 80 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:20,880 Speaker 1: because your appetite can come and go, and it can 81 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:23,080 Speaker 1: be so thin you want to take advantage of it 82 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:26,919 Speaker 1: when it does show up. And even more to the point, 83 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:30,200 Speaker 1: if you starve yourself on purpose while you have a fever, 84 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:34,000 Speaker 1: you're robbing yourself of some really much needed nutrients and 85 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:37,680 Speaker 1: calories that your body really needs, specifically when you have 86 00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:38,159 Speaker 1: a fever. 87 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:41,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, if your metabolism is kicking in in a substantial way, 88 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 2: it's gonna you know, if you're just laying around in bed, 89 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:47,560 Speaker 2: that'll make you eat up more of your calories and 90 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:50,960 Speaker 2: nutrients than you that you have in your body, So 91 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:53,200 Speaker 2: you're going to want as much as you can. So 92 00:04:53,279 --> 00:04:57,640 Speaker 2: if you're hungry, cold fever or whatever, by god, eat 93 00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:01,520 Speaker 2: something or drink something. Definitely need to stay hydrated. Even 94 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:03,760 Speaker 2: if you're not hungry. There are plenty of ways to 95 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:05,760 Speaker 2: get you know, nutrients and liquid. 96 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:08,960 Speaker 1: Into you, right. And the reason that your metabolism would 97 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:11,040 Speaker 1: jack up when you have a fever is because your 98 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:15,119 Speaker 1: body's literally raising your core temperature to try to cook 99 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:19,160 Speaker 1: out the virus that's got you in its grips. Yeah, 100 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:19,760 Speaker 1: I don't even need. 101 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:24,880 Speaker 2: Fevers are no fun, but I love when I when 102 00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:26,960 Speaker 2: I'm sick and I get a fever and the fever happens, 103 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:29,600 Speaker 2: I'm like, okay, Like this is my body doing its thing, 104 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:30,560 Speaker 2: so I feel good about it. 105 00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:34,400 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, it is kind of weird. It's like almost 106 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:37,800 Speaker 1: giving it like a grudging salute, like way to go body, exactly. 107 00:05:37,839 --> 00:05:40,880 Speaker 2: It didn't feel great, but oh there's no better feeling 108 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:42,320 Speaker 2: than like breaking that fever, you know. 109 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:45,200 Speaker 1: Oh for sure the worst is when the fever comes 110 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:47,440 Speaker 1: on in the morning and you've got fever all through 111 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:51,320 Speaker 1: the night. Fever is that? Okay? 112 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:55,000 Speaker 2: So make sure that was an accident. 113 00:05:55,279 --> 00:05:58,400 Speaker 1: You said, can you imagine the coincidence? Like what would 114 00:05:58,440 --> 00:05:59,200 Speaker 1: the odds be of. 115 00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:01,400 Speaker 2: That don't know a natural songwriter. 116 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:04,599 Speaker 1: I guess so you said that you want to drink, 117 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:07,520 Speaker 1: especially if like you can't eat solid foods. At least 118 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:10,719 Speaker 1: try to drink things that have calories, like a sports 119 00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:17,120 Speaker 1: drink with electrolytes like they had in Idiocrisy, and or 120 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:19,760 Speaker 1: like thin broths like a chicken broth can have a 121 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:23,000 Speaker 1: bunch of calories in it. Even vegetable broths have some calories, 122 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:24,719 Speaker 1: so you want to get it wherever you can. The 123 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:27,240 Speaker 1: key here is this, even if you don't want to 124 00:06:27,279 --> 00:06:31,240 Speaker 1: eat at all, that's okay. Like most people, especially in 125 00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:34,440 Speaker 1: the developed world, aren't on the edge of nutrition. We 126 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:36,720 Speaker 1: all have some reserves that can last us the few 127 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:39,840 Speaker 1: days we're not hungry while we're sick. What we don't 128 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:42,479 Speaker 1: have is a reserve enough of fluids to keep us 129 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:44,839 Speaker 1: going for very long. So you have to It's not 130 00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:47,799 Speaker 1: a choice. You have to stay hydrated one way or another. 131 00:06:48,279 --> 00:06:51,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, that same article from Gentlemen's Magazine from way back 132 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:55,200 Speaker 2: when suggested some other things of the time. Barley water, 133 00:06:55,279 --> 00:07:01,279 Speaker 2: which sounds not too bad, small beer, mm, one of those. 134 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:04,080 Speaker 2: You ever seen those little little little baby beers, they're 135 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:05,279 Speaker 2: like eightouncers or whatever. 136 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:07,800 Speaker 1: Well, yeah, I looked that up. That was so they 137 00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:11,360 Speaker 1: called that for low alcohol beer. Like I guess session 138 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:13,360 Speaker 1: beers basically would be a small beer. 139 00:07:13,200 --> 00:07:15,600 Speaker 2: Right, Well, I don't know, but that makes sense. 140 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:18,320 Speaker 1: Small beer, yeah, small beer. 141 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:21,720 Speaker 2: We called me and my friends Eddie and Allison called 142 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:25,440 Speaker 2: those tiny beers tweets. I don't know what. I think 143 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:28,280 Speaker 2: Alice had made up the word and it just kind 144 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:30,600 Speaker 2: of stuck. And the fun thing about drinking those is 145 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:31,800 Speaker 2: you look like Andre the Giant. 146 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:35,080 Speaker 1: Yes, I know exactly what you mean. I loved doing 147 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:35,440 Speaker 1: that too. 148 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:39,320 Speaker 2: What else, apple water, linseed, t toast and water that 149 00:07:39,400 --> 00:07:41,040 Speaker 2: maybe the toast in water, remember that. 150 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:43,520 Speaker 1: I'm pretty sure that's what it is. I bet it 151 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:50,640 Speaker 1: is water gruel sweetened with honey. Yeah. So I looked 152 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:53,280 Speaker 1: all over to see if anybody had conducted a study 153 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:55,640 Speaker 1: on whether this was true or not, and thank god 154 00:07:55,720 --> 00:08:00,360 Speaker 1: our friends over in the Netherlands in two thousand and two, 155 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:04,840 Speaker 1: a group of Dutch researchers conducted a study and they 156 00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:10,560 Speaker 1: wanted to see whether feeding or calorie restriction has any 157 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:12,640 Speaker 1: effect on whether you have a cold or fever or 158 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:15,680 Speaker 1: anything like that. And what's astounding is that they found 159 00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:19,320 Speaker 1: that it actually does have an effect like your on 160 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:21,840 Speaker 1: the level of your immune system with the types of 161 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:23,120 Speaker 1: cells that are produced. 162 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:28,440 Speaker 2: That's right, they starved well, I guess fasted same thing 163 00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:32,200 Speaker 2: sure for both groups for twenty four hours. And then 164 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:36,920 Speaker 2: the cold feeders they gave a meal replacement drink, so 165 00:08:37,160 --> 00:08:40,280 Speaker 2: not hot food in this case. And so after they 166 00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:43,959 Speaker 2: had this you know, sustenance, I guess, their blood levels 167 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:48,920 Speaker 2: of an immune protein called interferin gamma went really really 168 00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:51,720 Speaker 2: sky high average increase of four hundred and fifty percent. 169 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:56,360 Speaker 2: And interferon plays a role in regulating our response to 170 00:08:56,400 --> 00:08:59,160 Speaker 2: infections in our immune system, so you would think like, hey, 171 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:01,600 Speaker 2: eating is like exactly what you want to do. 172 00:09:02,040 --> 00:09:05,120 Speaker 1: Right, And then kind of as expected the other group, 173 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:08,560 Speaker 1: the group that had to fast, their interfere on gamma 174 00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:12,000 Speaker 1: levels actually went down by about eighty three percent, so 175 00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:16,719 Speaker 1: they lost some robustness to their immune response because they 176 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:19,199 Speaker 1: weren't eating. So so far you're kind of like, all right, 177 00:09:19,240 --> 00:09:22,840 Speaker 1: this makes sense for sure. The surprise came with a 178 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:26,440 Speaker 1: different kind of immune cell called inter luken four, which 179 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:30,320 Speaker 1: they found actually rows in the group that was fasting. 180 00:09:30,720 --> 00:09:34,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, by an average of almost four hundred percent compared 181 00:09:34,559 --> 00:09:37,000 Speaker 2: the four fifty for the other and I think there 182 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:39,640 Speaker 2: was one patient who's fasting levels rose more than eleven 183 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:40,440 Speaker 2: hundred percent. 184 00:09:40,760 --> 00:09:41,080 Speaker 1: Wow. 185 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:45,640 Speaker 2: And this is also an important part of our immune response, 186 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:49,199 Speaker 2: but it's different kinds of immune responses. So if you're 187 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:53,440 Speaker 2: thinking like, well, hey, if I starve myself, then this 188 00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:55,800 Speaker 2: one's going to go up, Like you don't know which 189 00:09:55,800 --> 00:10:00,160 Speaker 2: cells you need, So it's not sort of a a 190 00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:03,360 Speaker 2: roulette game you should try and play by starving yourself. 191 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:08,040 Speaker 1: No, for sure, that interfere on that helps produce antibodies 192 00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:11,000 Speaker 1: like for specifically targeted to an infection, and the inter 193 00:10:11,080 --> 00:10:16,160 Speaker 1: luken uses our bodies like innate response like sicking cytokines 194 00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:18,439 Speaker 1: that you normally have laying around in your body on it. 195 00:10:18,640 --> 00:10:21,360 Speaker 1: So yeah, you can't game the whole thing. So that's 196 00:10:21,520 --> 00:10:24,920 Speaker 1: why doctors across pretty much the board say, if you're 197 00:10:24,960 --> 00:10:27,440 Speaker 1: sick and you feel like you can eat, like you're hungry, 198 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:28,959 Speaker 1: eat something for sure. 199 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:31,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, because what you want is a little bit of 200 00:10:31,880 --> 00:10:35,240 Speaker 2: both and ideally more of both, but not a whole 201 00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:37,000 Speaker 2: lot of one and a lot less of the other. 202 00:10:37,840 --> 00:10:40,679 Speaker 1: Well put, especially when people rewind and listen to a 203 00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:44,400 Speaker 1: couple of foods I hope so well, Chuck, said you 204 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:49,880 Speaker 1: hope so, which means everybody short stuff is out. 205 00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:53,240 Speaker 2: Stuff you Should Know is a production of iHeartRadio. 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