For a long time, the science was clear: you don't catch a cold or the flu by taking a cold!
The only thing that matters, we were told, is whether or not we have been exposed to a pathogen, and the resurgence of infectious respiratory diseases in winter comes from the fact that we spend more time crammed indoors.
Then science moderated its remarks, showing that respiratory viruses survive better in chilly environments, which would also tend to irritate our nasal mucous membranes and therefore make them more sensitive to aggression.
As for our immune system, we do not know if the cold really alters its effectiveness, or how.
At least until the work of researchers from the universities of Boston and Cairo.
They propose in the
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
a mechanism that could explain this lower resistance to viruses in our body when subjected to cold.
When our nose shivers, the cells of its mucosa are less able to release...
This article is for subscribers only.
You have 82% left to discover.
Pushing back the limits of science is also freedom.
Keep reading your article for €0.99 for the first month
I ENJOY IT
Already subscribed?
Login