Hormonal
Prolonged calorie restriction and starvation suppress immune function against infection by reducing proinflammatory adipokines (specifically leptin) and increasing anti-inflammatory adipokines, leading to increased susceptibility to infectious disease.
If you are restricting calories significantly or fasting, be aware that your body actively suppresses its immune defense mechanisms to conserve energy. This makes you more vulnerable to infections like the flu. While this state improves metabolic markers, it comes at the cost of infection resistance. Ensure you are not exposing yourself to high infection risks while in a caloric deficit, and consider that refeeding can restore immune function.
In calorie restriction and starvation, proinflammatory adipokines decline and anti-inflammatory adipokines increase, which informs the host of energy deficits and contributes to the suppression of immune function.
Why this rating
The paper is a comprehensive review citing numerous primary studies (mouse models, human clinical observations) establishing the link between adipokine levels, energy status, and immune outcomes.
Source
The role of adipokines in chronic inflammation
Peter Mancuso · ImmunoTargets and Therapy · 2016
DOI 10.2147/itt.s73223
Related findings · Hormonal
- Initial treatment for type 2 diabetes should be a combination of metformin and either an SGLT-2 inhibitor or a GLP-1 receptor agonist to achieve cardiorenal protection, rather than monotherapy or older agents like sulfonylureas.Strong
- For patients with specific monogenic obesity syndromes (leptin deficiency, POMC/PCSK1/LEPR mutations), targeted pharmacotherapy (recombinant leptin or setmelanotide) is highly effective and should be prioritized, unlike in polygenic obesity.Strong
- Continued weekly administration of 2.4 mg subcutaneous semaglutide prevents weight regain and promotes further weight loss in adults with overweight or obesity, whereas switching to placebo results in significant weight regain.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →