Why Cooler Temperatures Could Lead To A Cold
A study led by researchers at Yale University finds that the body is less able to fight off the cold virus at the cooler temperatures found in the nose.
Mom was right: you might want to bundle up so you don’t catch a cold. As it turns out, the body is less able to fight off infection when it’s colder.
This was the finding from a Yale-led study that focused on the immune system’s response to the rhinovirus, the main common cold virus, at different temperatures.
Researchers compared the immune response to mouse cells exposed to the cold virus at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the core body temperature, and at 91.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
They found that the immune system did not respond as strongly to the virus at the cooler temperature.
Yale professor of immunobiology and study co-author Akiko Iwasaki confirms, "We found that the innate immune response to the rhinovirus is impaired at the lower body temperature compared to the core body temperature."
Researchers have long known that the virus replicated better in the cooler temperatures of the nose than in the lungs, but had not previously made the link with the body’s immune response.
Around 20 to 25 percent of people carry the cold virus with no symptoms.
This research indicates that perhaps staying out of cold air or keeping the nose warmer could help to prevent cold symptoms.
Nevertheless, doctors suggest that the best way to avoid getting sick is to stay away from people who have the cold virus.
Mom was right: you might want to bundle up so you don’t catch a cold. As it turns out, the body is less able to fight off infection when it’s colder.
This was the finding from a Yale-led study that focused on the immune system’s response to the rhinovirus, the main common cold virus, at different temperatures.
Researchers compared the immune response to mouse cells exposed to the cold virus at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the core body temperature, and at 91.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
They found that the immune system did not respond as strongly to the virus at the cooler temperature.
Yale professor of immunobiology and study co-author Akiko Iwasaki confirms, "We found that the innate immune response to the rhinovirus is impaired at the lower body temperature compared to the core body temperature."
Researchers have long known that the virus replicated better in the cooler temperatures of the nose than in the lungs, but had not previously made the link with the body’s immune response.
Around 20 to 25 percent of people carry the cold virus with no symptoms.
This research indicates that perhaps staying out of cold air or keeping the nose warmer could help to prevent cold symptoms.
Nevertheless, doctors suggest that the best way to avoid getting sick is to stay away from people who have the cold virus.
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