“Feed a Cold, Starve a Fever?” A Review of Nutritional Strategies in the Setting of Bacterial Versus Viral Infections

AbstractPurpose of ReviewSome data, mostly originally derived from animal studies, suggest that low glucose intake is protective in bacterial sepsis but detrimental in overwhelming viral infections. This has been interpreted into a broad belief that different forms of sepsis may potentially require different nutritional management strategies. There are a few mechanistic differences between the host interactions with virus and bacteria which can explain why there may be opposing responses to macronutrient and micronutrient during the infected state. Here, we aim to review relevant evidence on the mechanisms and pathophysiology of nutritional management strategies in various infectious syndromes and summarize their clinical implications.Recent FindingsNewer literature — in the context of the SARS-CoV-19 pandemic — offers some insight to viral infections. There is still limited clinically applicable data during infection that clearly delineate the role of nutrition during an active viral vs bacterial infections.SummaryBased on contrasting findings in different models of viruses and bacteria, the macronutrient and micronutrient needs may depend more on specific infectious organisms that may not be generalizable as bacterial versus viral. Overall, the metabolic effects of sepsis are context dependent, and various host-specific (e.g., age, baseline nutritional status, immune status, comorbidities) and illness variables (phase, duration, and severity of illness) play a significa...
Source: Current Nutrition Reports - Category: Nutrition Source Type: research