A press release on the study says that mice fed a ketogenic diet and then infected with influenza had a higher survival rate than mice on a high-carb diet. The ketogenic diet triggered the release of gamma delta T cells, which produce mucus in the cell linings of the lung, effectively trapping the virus. While this subset of T cells was not previously associated with immune health, researchers are reasonably certain that it’s what made the difference: Mice bred without the gene that codes for gamma delta T cells saw no immune health benefits from Keto.