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Science & Technology

Can being cold really give you the cold ?

By T.K. Randall
November 29, 2016 · Comment icon 46 comments

Can being cold actually give you the common cold ? Image Credit: CC BY 2.0 mcfarlandmo
It has long been considered something of an old wives' tale, but could there really be some truth to it ?
Most people will remember being told to wrap up warm as a child to avoid getting a cold, but this idea tends to be dismissed these days on the basis that the common cold is caused by the rhinovirus, not low temperatures - you have to have picked it up off someone else... right ?

One of the biggest stumbling blocks for scientists researching this subject is that, while it has long been believed that the rhinovirus replicates more readily in colder environments, the exact reason for this has remained tantalisingly elusive.

Now though, Assistant Professor Ellen Foxman and colleagues at the Yale University School of Medicine have finally been able to make some headway on the matter by determining that the immune systems of laboratory mice produce fewer proteins known as interferons in lower temperatures thus making it much easier for the rhinovirus to flourish.
In a new study published this year, the team also found similar results in human cells - the immune pathways responsible for blocking viral growth are more active in warmer temperatures.

So while being cold cannot in itself cause the common cold, if you have already picked up the virus in your nose then staying warm can help to stop the symptoms from developing.

"If the virus isn't in your nose, it can't cause infection," said Foxman.

Source: Popular Science | Comments (46)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #37 Posted by simplybill 7 years ago
I have better luck by acclimating to weather conditions, rather than protecting myself against them. I try not to wear a jacket until the temperature drops below 30 degrees, and then I wear only a lined windbreaker. I do keep a blizzard kit in my car for the times in get stuck in a snowstorm. I live in a remote rural area, and I've had to spend the night in my car a couple of times after getting caught out in a blizzard.  I do the same in the summertime. Last summer I did a 9-mile mountain hike in 100 degree weather with no problem. Once years ago I went backpacking in the Utah desert... [More]
Comment icon #38 Posted by cluey 7 years ago
Apart from being exposed to hypothermia........keeping your head and or feet covered will reduce you chances of becoming sick.....
Comment icon #39 Posted by Merc14 7 years ago
Which study, exactly, are you on about? Oh never mind, you have finally admitted that what you stated in that initial post was a complete falsehood.  Thanks, that is all I wanted.  When you catch a bad case of the flu  a really nasty one I'd love a report on how you stopped the fever and the rest of the nastiness, good luck, for the rest of you get a flu shot, it s your best chance albeit not 100%.  Ebola, BTW, is a virus too rolci, think your way through that infection mate.  
Comment icon #40 Posted by badeskov 7 years ago
By all means of respect, but this is all BS (another one from Rolci). There is absolutely no scientific basis for this crap and and it has been a recurring theme sadly. But it'll crop up again and again apparently in the vain hope that previous discussions have been conveniently forgotten. But then again, you already knew that  Cheers, Badeskov
Comment icon #41 Posted by Merc14 7 years ago
Yes I did Bad, I just wanted him to admit it.    I do remember on the ship that if you didn't feel well enough to fly you got to stand SDO (Squadron Duty Officer) which we euphemistically called the  "Get well seat".   Of course if you were heaving and really sick you stayed in bed but sitting in khakis handing out cameras and pistols, while everyone else is flying, heals many ills.   
Comment icon #42 Posted by badeskov 7 years ago
Hahaha...I can imagine that sticking personal with the SDO duty would heal many an ill  That said, getting Rolci to admit being wrong, well, while waiting for that you can probably come up with a real remedy for the common cold in the mean time (instead of this make belief). Cheers, Badeskov
Comment icon #43 Posted by Merc14 7 years ago
I hear ya, admit you screwed up or were wrong, thank the person for teaching you something and move on!   I do it far to often but hey, I learn something new every time.
Comment icon #44 Posted by badeskov 7 years ago
Oh yeah. Been wrong plenty of times (part of being in science - try it in front of 300 people though, humbling experience). In science being wrong is a very teaching experience and one we take with us. Cheers, Badeskov
Comment icon #45 Posted by Merc14 7 years ago
I hear ya brother.   I will say that you haven't lived your life to the fullest if you haven't stretched far enough to suffer a humiliation of such epic proportions based solely on your sound, professional, opinion, so well done sir! 
Comment icon #46 Posted by badeskov 7 years ago
Well, I would say that in your profession, being wrong is probably not an experience you would have taken with you (I would guess it would have killed you - In some cases, at least). But we definitely agree. You are wrong, you are told you are wrong and you analyze and use that information to make yourself better at what you do, whatever that now is. Naturally, you also admit so and give credit to the people that can actually tell you so in a way where it is credible (not this woo woo stuff presented in this thread). Nothing wrong with that, in fact it shows a lot about yourself being able to... [More]


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