Significant weight loss can affect your immune system

Due to the world we currently live in, one of our main concerns right now is keeping our immune systems in tip-top shape. Our immune systems help us stay healthy and prevent all kinds of diseases from the flu to COVID-19.

And now, a new study shows that aggressive weight loss diets can damage our immune systems, increasing the chances of developing disease.

While weight loss is still a hot topic and struggles with a lot of fat phobia, we have begun to associate weight loss with a more active lifestyle that consists of eating healthy and exercising rather than just restrictive diets. The general approach to this is that living a healthy life is more about being happy than looking thin.

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The study, carried out in Iran and published in the American Journal of Translation Research, examined the extent to which a weight restriction would affect people’s immune systems. Researchers found that aggressive food restrictions weakened people’s immune systems, leading to the fact that all types of diets should be carefully followed, preferably with the advice of experts.

The study tracked 29 obese women and divided them into two groups. One was the control group, recommended to eat freely, while the other took weight loss medication and followed a restrictive diet that asked them to eat 600 or fewer calories a day. For comparison: women consume an average of 1,600 to 2,000 calories a day.

Both groups lost weight. The group of women who followed these restrictive guidelines lost 10% of their body fat while also losing some of their “natural killer cells,” which are critical to the body’s immune system.

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Although the study was small and didn’t include a very representative sample of participants, it suggests the importance of gradual weight loss, especially when it comes to people’s immune systems. It also shows how a combined approach to weight loss consisting of a more active lifestyle and some calorie restriction can be best for keeping your entire system running smoothly, especially during the times when you need it most.