Feed a cold, starve a fever?

The adage should really be: "feed a cold, feed a fever"

The adage “feed a cold, starve a fever” is a myth – or sometimes, called an old wives’ tale.

The idea most likely originated during the Middle Ages (400s-1400s) when people believed there were two kinds of illnesses that were related to antiquated thoughts on body temperature:

If someone had a cold, the belief went, his or her body became literally colder. Therefore, to “warm up” someone ill with a cold, food was given. Conversely, if someone was burning with fever, not eating was believed to “cool” the patient down.

The saying has been traced to a 1574 dictionary by John Withals, which noted that “fasting is a great remedy of fever.”

The belief was that eating food may help the body generate warmth during a “cold”, but the converse was true in the case of a fever. Back then, people believed that a fever meant that the metabolism was working in overdrive. So, the idea was that withholding food would help the body cool down since the digestive system wouldn’t be working, and that the fever would burn off faster as a result.

Of course, we know have a much better understanding of illness, and the immune system. When you’re sick, your immune system needs rest, hydration, and nutrition in order to be able to do its job and fend off infection!

In reality, “starving a fever” can be dangerous. When you get sick, your metabolism increases, because you’re literally fueling your immune system to fight off those pathogens. Depriving your body of nutrition when you’re sick can make your immune response less productive.

Proper nutrition is key for recovery. Often our appetites are suppressed during illness (possibly to reserve energy for fighting infection as opposed to digesting food), but you still want to make sure to eat regularly, regardless of the type of illness you have.

What actually “helps”?

Hand-washing, symptom relief treatments (NSAIDs, hot liquids, adding moisture to air), rest, HYDRATION, and nutrition! Viral infections such as “colds” and influenza are not treated with antibiotics, but if you have a bacterial infection, they can be helpful for that.

In reality, the adage should be “feed a cold, feed a fever.”

We discussed this, and many other Old Wives’ Tales on two podcast episodes last season, so make sure to tune in to hear more!

Podcasts:

Superstition ain’t the way: Old Wives’ Tales part 1

Superstition ain’t the way: Old Wives’ Tales part 2