For the first time, scientists have been able to find out why people are more susceptible to flu and seasonal colds when the weather is cold. By the way, it is known that when the weather is cold, the chances of catching a cold or flu increase. Is.
Although the germs that cause colds or flu are present in all seasons and people are affected by these diseases even in summer.
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For this reason, there was a question in the minds of scientists as to why the cold or flu season suddenly starts when the temperature drops.
Now scientists have been able to find out the biological reason for this and this reason is cold.
A study by the Harvard Medical School in the United States has shown that cold air weakens the immune response that works against germs in the human nose.
For the first time, we have an explanation to answer this question, the researchers said.
He said that our immune response is limited in cold temperatures.
Research has found that even a mere 5 degrees Celsius drop in temperature kills about 50 percent of the immune cells that fight viruses and bacteria inside our noses.
The researchers said that there is a connection between cold air and viral infections because even a slight drop in temperature can reduce our immune system by 50%.
Research has discovered that bacteria that cause respiratory diseases invade the nose and the cells in the nose fight them off.
It should be noted that the body’s immune cells are equipped with microRNA, which is a component that helps eliminate invading bacteria, and the amount of microRNA in nasal cells is 13 times higher.
During the research, 4 people were kept at 4.4 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes and then the internal condition of the nose was evaluated.
Researchers discovered that when we are exposed to cold air, the temperature of the nose drops too much, which also causes the body’s defense system to go haywire.
They said that even mild cold is enough to disable about 42 percent of the immune cells inside the nose.
Similarly, the amount of microRNA decreases by about 50%, which in turn reduces the immune system’s ability to fight colds or flu by half.
According to the researchers, face masks can help in this matter as they not only prevent airborne germs but also keep the nose warm.
The warmer you keep your nose, the better the immune system works, he said, so the results prove another benefit of using a face mask.
According to the researchers, this is a study on human tissues in the laboratory and has not yet been done in real life, so more work is needed to confirm the results.
The results of the study were published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
