Kenny Croxdale
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Can a keto diet help fight the flu?
February 3, 2020
The ketogenic diet has gained popularity for its weight loss results, and new research indicates that it may also be helpful in fighting the flu.
In a study published in Science Immunology, researchers at Yale University found that specific diet changes may be effective in helping to fight influenza A infections.
“We found that mice on ketogenic diet were protected from flu because they were able to fortify the airway barrier better. This required a special type of lymphocytes known as gamma delta T cells,” said Akiko Iwasaki, PhD, principal investigator at the Iwasaki Lab at the Yale School of Medicine, Waldemar Von Zedwitz professor of Immunobiology and Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, professor of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and co-author of the study. “The keto diet expanded gamma delta T cells, and these cells modified the airway epithelial cells to secrete more mucus, which can trap the virus and protect the host from further spread.”
The discovery was accidental, according to the research team. The study was completed after researchers working on another project found that a ketogenic diet blocked the formation of immune system activators called inflammasomes, which can result in harmful immune responses. That discovery made researchers wonder what other immune responses might be impacted by the popular keto diet.
Immune responses are key to fighting infections, and for this project, mice in the study group were fed high-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets, while mice in the control group were fed high carbohydrate diets. The mice in the ketogenic group were found to have an expansion of gamma delta T cells in the lung, which improved barrier function against the flu.
In other words, the ketogenic diet was believed to activate certain immune cells that were previously not associated with the immune response to the flu, according to the research team. This response resulted in increased mucous production within the airway, which can help to trap the flu virus. Additionally, the research team found that when mice bred without coding for gamma delta T cells, a ketogenic diet offered no protection against influenza A.
Iwasaki said the studies have only been in mice so far, and additional research is needed to see if similar pathways would be activated in humans. There have also been criticisms of the ketogenic diet, which historically has been used as a medical diet under the watch of a physician because of the risks it includes. Iwasaki said there are no plans yet to make any clinical recommendations in relation to the team’s discovery.
“We first need to know whether people on ketogenic diet have similar changes in the lung,” she said. “Without such data, it is not possible to recommend any changes in clinical practice.”
Ketogenic diet activates protective γδ T cell responses against influenza virus infection | Science Immunology
Our immune responses to infections are influenced by several extrinsic factors, including weather, social interactions, and diet. Here, Goldberg et al. report that feeding mice a high-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet confers protection in the context of lethal influenza infection. By characterizing the immune response in the lungs, the authors identified that ketogenic diet promoted the expansion of γδ T cells in the lung. Using mice lacking γδ T cells, the authors have established the functional importance of these cells in conferring protection. Their findings suggest that γδ T cells improve barrier function in the lungs by modifying differentiation and function of the airway epithelial cells.
Abstract
Influenza A virus (IAV) infection–associated morbidity and mortality are a key global health care concern, necessitating the identification of new therapies capable of reducing the severity of IAV infections. In this study, we show that the consumption of a low-carbohydrate, high-fat ketogenic diet (KD) protects mice from lethal IAV infection and disease. KD feeding resulted in an expansion of γδ T cells in the lung that improved barrier functions, thereby enhancing antiviral resistance. Expansion of these protective γδ T cells required metabolic adaptation to a ketogenic diet because neither feeding mice a high-fat, high-carbohydrate diet nor providing chemical ketone body substrate that bypasses hepatic ketogenesis protected against infection. Therefore, KD-mediated immune-metabolic integration represents a viable avenue toward preventing or alleviating influenza disease.
February 3, 2020
The ketogenic diet has gained popularity for its weight loss results, and new research indicates that it may also be helpful in fighting the flu.
In a study published in Science Immunology, researchers at Yale University found that specific diet changes may be effective in helping to fight influenza A infections.
“We found that mice on ketogenic diet were protected from flu because they were able to fortify the airway barrier better. This required a special type of lymphocytes known as gamma delta T cells,” said Akiko Iwasaki, PhD, principal investigator at the Iwasaki Lab at the Yale School of Medicine, Waldemar Von Zedwitz professor of Immunobiology and Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, professor of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and co-author of the study. “The keto diet expanded gamma delta T cells, and these cells modified the airway epithelial cells to secrete more mucus, which can trap the virus and protect the host from further spread.”
The discovery was accidental, according to the research team. The study was completed after researchers working on another project found that a ketogenic diet blocked the formation of immune system activators called inflammasomes, which can result in harmful immune responses. That discovery made researchers wonder what other immune responses might be impacted by the popular keto diet.
Immune responses are key to fighting infections, and for this project, mice in the study group were fed high-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets, while mice in the control group were fed high carbohydrate diets. The mice in the ketogenic group were found to have an expansion of gamma delta T cells in the lung, which improved barrier function against the flu.
In other words, the ketogenic diet was believed to activate certain immune cells that were previously not associated with the immune response to the flu, according to the research team. This response resulted in increased mucous production within the airway, which can help to trap the flu virus. Additionally, the research team found that when mice bred without coding for gamma delta T cells, a ketogenic diet offered no protection against influenza A.
Iwasaki said the studies have only been in mice so far, and additional research is needed to see if similar pathways would be activated in humans. There have also been criticisms of the ketogenic diet, which historically has been used as a medical diet under the watch of a physician because of the risks it includes. Iwasaki said there are no plans yet to make any clinical recommendations in relation to the team’s discovery.
“We first need to know whether people on ketogenic diet have similar changes in the lung,” she said. “Without such data, it is not possible to recommend any changes in clinical practice.”
Ketogenic diet activates protective γδ T cell responses against influenza virus infection | Science Immunology
- Emily L. Goldberg1,2,
- Ryan D. Molony2,3,
- Eriko Kudo2,
- Sviatoslav Sidorov1,
- Yong Kong4,
- Vishwa Deep Dixit1,2,5,* and
- Akiko Iwasaki2,6,7,*
- Science Immunology 15 Nov 2019: Vol. 4, Issue 41, eaav2026 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aav2026
Our immune responses to infections are influenced by several extrinsic factors, including weather, social interactions, and diet. Here, Goldberg et al. report that feeding mice a high-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet confers protection in the context of lethal influenza infection. By characterizing the immune response in the lungs, the authors identified that ketogenic diet promoted the expansion of γδ T cells in the lung. Using mice lacking γδ T cells, the authors have established the functional importance of these cells in conferring protection. Their findings suggest that γδ T cells improve barrier function in the lungs by modifying differentiation and function of the airway epithelial cells.
Abstract
Influenza A virus (IAV) infection–associated morbidity and mortality are a key global health care concern, necessitating the identification of new therapies capable of reducing the severity of IAV infections. In this study, we show that the consumption of a low-carbohydrate, high-fat ketogenic diet (KD) protects mice from lethal IAV infection and disease. KD feeding resulted in an expansion of γδ T cells in the lung that improved barrier functions, thereby enhancing antiviral resistance. Expansion of these protective γδ T cells required metabolic adaptation to a ketogenic diet because neither feeding mice a high-fat, high-carbohydrate diet nor providing chemical ketone body substrate that bypasses hepatic ketogenesis protected against infection. Therefore, KD-mediated immune-metabolic integration represents a viable avenue toward preventing or alleviating influenza disease.
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