Study shows mild fever clears infections faster than medicines

New research from the University of Alberta, it may be beneficial to let a mild fever run its course instead of immediately resorting to medication.

The study observed that allowing the moderate fever to go untreated in fish facilitated faster elimination of infections, controlled inflammation, and repaired damaged tissue.

Lead author and immunologist Daniel Barreda noted that moderate fever is self-resolving, meaning that the body can initiate and resolve it naturally without medication. In this case, allowing nature to take its course had positive results.

Daniel Barreda, an immunologist at the University of Alberta in Canada and lead author of the study, said that allowing nature to take its course with a moderate fever was a positive thing.

He explained that moderate fever is self-resolving, and the body can initiate and resolve it naturally without medication.

While further research is needed to confirm the health benefits of natural fever to humans, the study suggests that people should avoid taking over-the-counter fever medications, as they may reduce the benefits of the body's natural response.

The study used machine learning to track the behavior of fish with a bacterial infection and found that fever helped clear the fish of infection in about seven days, which is half the time it took for fish not allowed to exert fever.

The researchers concluded that fever provides an integrative response that activates defenses against infection and helps control it.

According to the study, natural fever not only activates defenses against infection but also helps control it by clearing the body of infection in about seven days, which is half the time it takes for animals not allowed to exert fever.

Moreover, fever helped to shut down inflammation and repair tissues that had been injured, similar to turning off a car after driving to save energy and prevent additional damage.

The findings could also be used to manage illness in animals by taking advantage of their natural fever response to identify sick individuals or those in need of vaccination boosters.

The study was funded by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada and supported some researchers through graduate teaching assistantships from the U of A's Department of Biological Sciences.

Ultimately, the goal is to find a healthy balance between treating fever and harnessing the benefits of natural mechanisms of immunity, says Barreda.

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