A WEAK IMMUME SYSTEM DOESN'T MAKE YOU VULNERABLE
Cold symptoms do not result from the destructive effects of viruses but rather from how strongly your immune system reacts to them.
In other words, terrible cold symptoms are the product of a strong immune system, rather than a weak one.
So bear this in mind the next time you read an advertising slogan for a dietary supplement which promises to help you fight colds by boosting your immune system.
VITAMIN C WON'T STOP A COLD
No cure for the common cold has been better studied than vitamin C, which, it is claimed, helps by increasing infection-fighting white blood cells.
However, more than 30 clinical trials involving more than 10,000 people have examined the effects of taking daily vitamin C and have shown that it does not prevent colds. At best, it only slightly reduces the duration of symptoms.
The only time it might help is if you’re engaged in extreme physical exercise or exposed to extreme physical cold. Several studies have shown that soldiers, skiers and marathon runners in these situations who down a daily dose of 200mg of vitamin C have the risk of a cold reduced by half.
CUTTING OUT ALCOHOL IS NOT THE ANSWER
One or two drinks a day actually diminishes the likelihood of catching a cold, according to studies at the Common Cold Unit in Salisbury, Wiltshire.
Non-drinkers were at far greater risk, though scientists don’t know why.
‘It could be that the types of people who drink are less susceptible for other reasons,’ says Sheldon Cohen, who led the research.
Or there could be a direct link. Alcohol might somehow limit the replication of the viruses. Either way, Cohen doesn’t encourage drinking as a prophylactic or cure for the common cold, as the risks of consuming more than a drink or two a day to general health far exceed the benefits in cold reduction, he says.
YOU CAN'T CATCH A COLD BY KISSING
This will surprise many people, but a kiss won’t give you a cold. The largest family of viruses causing colds are rhinoviruses, and these rarely enter our bodies through the mouth, according to research at the University of Wisconsin Medical School.
When infected, volunteers kissed cold-free volunteers for a full minute and a half, but only one case of cross-infection occurred in 16 trials.
Estimates suggest that it takes as much as 8,000 times as much virus to cause infection by way of saliva than by other routes. So kissing or sharing drinks is unlikely to spread a rhinovirus.
For most cold viruses, the nose and eye are the main points of entry, spread by coughs and sneezes or by touching an infected surface with your hands.
WASHING YOUR CLOTHES WON'T KILL VIRUSES
Coughs and sneezes spread diseases: The saying is true, you are more likely to catch cold germs this way than kissing
Washing infected clothes may be one of the major transfer points in the home for germs, according to research by Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona.
Even the simple act of putting underwear in the machine or transferring clothes from a washer to a dryer could put you at risk of E.coli (a common gut bacteria) on your hands.
Washing eliminates 99 per cent of the bacteria, but if there are a million to begin with, that leaves some 10,000. And viruses — like those responsible for causing a cold — are even harder to wash out of fabric than bacteria.
Cold viruses can lurk in places such as the tucks and folds of clothing, with handkerchiefs and children’s shirtsleeves particularly likely repositories.
GREEN MUCUS ISN'T A SIGN OF BACTERIAL INFECTION
Contrary to popular belief, green mucus is not a sign of bacterial infection, but a sign the immune system is working properly.
As the body recruits more and more virus-fighting white blood cells to the nose, the colour of the mucus changes from clear to yellow to green. This is because these cells carry green iron-containing enzymes. The greener the colour, the more robust the immune response.
STAYING INDOORS WON'T PROTECT YOU
One of the most likely sources of cold viruses is your computer mouse or desk at work.
A study of the cold virus in offices found that 47 per cent of desktops, 46 per cent of computer mice and 45 per cent of telephones had cold viruses on them.
The same research found that professions most at risk from cold germ spread included lawyers, teachers, accountants, bankers, radio DJs, doctors and TV producers.
BLOWING YOUR NOSE HARD DOESN'T HELP
The stuffy, blocked feeling that stifles breathing during a cold is not the product, as one might expect, of excess mucus, but swelling blood vessels in the nasal passages. These normally swell anyway in a rhythmic alternating cycle, so one nasal passage always has a little less airflow than the other.
But colds exaggerate the asymmetry of rhythm — completely closing one nasal passage. So the urge to blow forcefully is increased, though it doesn’t relieve the stuffy feeling.
Perhaps more importantly, studies show that forceful nose blowing propels viscous nasal fluid, with its load of viruses, bacteria, and inflammatory chemicals, into the sinuses, where secondary bacterial infections may take hold. So it’s best to blow gently, one nostril at a time.
ANTIBACTERIAL SOAP CAN'T ZAP VIRUSES
The germs which cause a cold are viruses, not bacteria — which is why antibiotics have no effect on colds. Antibiotics kill bacteria by preventing them from building their cell walls.
Viruses are not cells and have no cell walls, so they’re utterly unaffected by the drugs — this is also why antibacterial soaps, shampoos and lotions have no effect on cold germs.
An alcohol-based hand sanitiser, however, is a decent alternative. In one 2010 study at the University of Virginia, alcohol sanitisers were significantly more effective at removing rhinoviruses than hand washing with soap and water.
CATCHING A COLD ISN'T JUST BAD LUCK
The more years your parents had been able to afford to own their own home before you turned 18, the lower your risk of getting a lot of colds in the future, say U.S. researchers.
As Professor Sheldon Cohen of Carnegie Mellon University, explained: ‘The most critical years are ages zero to six. If your parents did not own their home during these early years, you’re at high risk. All of this is true no matter what your socioeconomic status may be.’
It’s thought the link is stress — albeit second hand. People under stress produce more of the stress hormone cortisol; one of cortisol’s jobs is to turn off the production of cytokines, molecules that encourage an aggressive immune response.
If there’s too much cortisol, this process goes haywire triggering a greater response to colds.
WRAPPING UP WARM WON'T PROTECT YOU
Exposure to the cold has nothing to do with catching a cold, says Ron Taylor of the University of Virginia.
Colds are more common in autumn and winter because the cooler, wetter weather drives people indoors, where viruses may more easily jump from one person to the next.
The distinct peak in colds in September and early January is likely due to the return of students to schools and colleges after the summer and winter break.
OLD WIVES ARE RIGHT ABOUT CHICKEN SOUP
Touted as a cold remedy by grandmothers since time immemorial, recent research shows there may be some scientific fact behind the legend that chicken soup helps a cold.
Stephen Rennard, a pulmonary specialist at the University of Nebraska Medical Centre, conducted an informal study to determine if chicken soup would reduce the movement of neutrophils, cells drawn to sites of infection and which in turn trigger inflammation.
He found that it did — although he couldn’t pinpoint the components responsible.
Many canned soups appeared to be just as efficient as homemade ones.
No wonder cure: The benefits of echinacea are very small
ECHINACEA ISN'T MUCH USE
In terms of popularity, the purple coneflower is king of herbal remedies for cold sufferers and parts of the plants are sold as capsules, juices, tinctures and teas.
While some research suggests that the leaves and flowers of one strain (purpurea) may have a small effect on reducing cold symptoms, recent better-designed studies find that the herb does little to shorten colds or relieve symptoms.
According to the latest reviews, taking Echinacea regularly won’t protect you from catching a cold, nor will it reduce the severity or duration.
Bottom line: experts say don’t waste your money.
SOCIALISING WON'T PUT YOU AT RISK
People who socialise with a great variety of people suffer fewer colds than those with small social circles.
Although you might think coming into contact with a broad range of people could increase your risk, U.S. researchers have found that a wide social group contributes to a more positive, healthy outlook — and sociable people produce fewer pro-inflammatory chemicals in response to cold viruses.
OLDER PEOPLE DON'T GET MORE SNIFFLES
In almost everyone, susceptibility to colds declines over time. The over-50s, for instance, catch only half as many as teenagers. This is largely because they will have been exposed to more colds and therefore developed more antibodies to common cold viruses than younger people.
DRINKING FLUIDS MAKES LITTLE DIFFERENCE
It's the cold-cure mantra we’ve all heard so often. But the truth is, drinking loads of fluids won’t help get rid of a cold. And there are no controlled clinical studies showing any benefit of maintaining steady fluid intake during a cold either.
However, drinking normal amounts of water, juice, broth, and other clear fluids can help to loosen congestion and certainly prevents dehydration.
YOU WON'T LOSE WEIGHT WITH A COLD
There are at least five families of cold viruses, among them the adenoviruses. A shocking new finding points to some kinds of adenoviruses being capable of triggering not just a blocked nose but obesity.
Three types of adenovirus normally spur symptoms of the common cold, but in 20 per cent of people they may also affect the rate of fat-cell formation.
Essentially this means they play a role in changing stem cells (essentially ‘precursor’ cells, which can turn into other cells such as fat, blood — even bone) into fat cells, so those infected with the virus gain weight faster than non-infected people who eat the same amount.
BLAME YOUR GENES
Over the past five or ten years, scientists have discovered genetic variations that may explain why some people suffer many more colds than normal.
It seems there are differences in their receptor cells — to which rhinoviruses attach as they ‘invade the body’ — and in the amounts of inflammatory chemicals their bodies make.
Who said life was fair?
Adapted from Ah-Choo by Jennifer Ackerman, published by 12. The book is available from amazon.com
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