Feed a cold, starve a fever

"Feed a cold, starve a fever" is an adage or a wives' tale which attempts to instruct people how to deal with illness.

[5] The first known publication of the adage was in John Withals's 1574 book, A shorte dictionarie most profitable for yong beginners.

[6][7][8] In a 1942 paper published by The Johns Hopkins University Press, the "feed a cold, starve a fever" adage was determined to be justified according to medical knowledge.

[11] A 2007 New York Times article concluded, "There is little scientific evidence behind the notion of starving a cold and feeding a fever, or vice versa.

They also quoted Emory University internist Sharon Horesh Bergquist who agreed but also advised: "When you're sick, drink more than you think you need".

They observed that consuming food correlated with increased levels of gamma interferon production, a cytokine that stimulates immune cells to respond to viral infections such as the cold, whereas fasting was followed by an increase in interleukin 4, used in the response to the bacterial infections which are a common cause of fever.

[12] Ruslan Medzhitov, of the Yale School of Medicine, states that the lack of an appetite is a common condition during an illness.

She said that if a cold or fever has altered a person's appetite they should not force feed; however, a sick body needs nutrition in order to assist the immune system.