Does Being Cold Give you the Cold?
It’s kind of like clockwork, as the cool winter weather arrives so do the sniffles, coughing, sore throats, and sneezing. Why does this happen? It’s no secret that the common cold is a conundrum for doctors and researchers – but a recent study is shedding some light on why we’re more likely to catch a cold in the winter than in the summer.
Based on recent studies, it appears that our internal body temperature just might be the culprit. As our internal body temperature drops after exposure to cold air, so does our body’s immune system response – reducing our ability to fight off the rhinovirus (virus that causes the common cold).
Akiko Iwasaki, co-author of the study and professor of immunobiology at Yale University School of Medicine says, “It has been long known that the rhinovirus replicates better at the cooler temperature, around 33 Celsius (91 Fahrenheit), compared to the core body temperature of 37 Celsius (99 Fahrenheit).
“[But] the reason for this cold temperature preference for virus replication was unknown. Much of the focus on this question has been on the virus itself. However, virus replication machinery itself works well at both temperatures, leaving the question unanswered,” she says.
“We used mouse airway cells as a model to study this question [and found that] at the cooler temperature found in the nose, the host immune system was unable to induce defense signals to block virus replication,” says Iwasaki.
After incubating the mouse cells in two different temperature settings (one group of cells was incubated at 37 C (99 F) to mimic the core temperature found in the lungs, and the other at 33 C (91 F) to mimic the temperature of the nose), results showed that internal body temperatures did not have any impact on the virus itself. It was in fact, the body’s own “indirect immune response to the virus that differed, with a stronger response observed among the warmer lung cells and a weaker response observed among the colder nasal cells.”
So what does this mean for you?
Well, what we see here is that more and more evidence is pointing to how vital it is to have a strong immune system. One of the best ways to strengthen your immune system, ensuring it can work for you when you really need it, is with a natural supplement such as AHCC. AHCC turns the dial up on your natural immune system, helping you to fight off all kinds of threats to your health – like the rhinovirus that causes the common cold.
Your immune system is comprised of two systems: the innate and the adaptive. The innate immunity launches an immediate, non-specific attack against a threat. Your adaptive immunity takes longer to kick in, but produces a specific response to a particular microbe. AHCC works to strengthen both your innate and adaptive immunity, thereby giving the best possible first and second-line defense against the cold virus.
Fighting the rhinovirus
So based on this recent study that shows some connection between cool temperature and your immune system response – what should you be doing to fight off the common cold? The best thing you can do is to focus on keeping yourself healthy year-round, this means ensuring your immune system can support you and the demands you place on it, getting plenty of sleep, reducing your stress, and eating a healthy diet.
Remember the innate and adaptive immunity we discussed earlier – well, this is what you really want to strengthen and you can do this with a completely natural supplement such as AHCC.
We want you to be healthy and cold-free this winter, so remember to make your health a priority.
