
Cold Does Not Increase Odds of Catching Cold (2016) - georgecmu
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/19/upshot/repeat-after-me-cold-does-not-increase-odds-of-catching-cold.html
======
hammock
The studies mentioned are great, and they don't come close to approximating
real life. Here are two mechanisms I could think of that weren't addressed by
the article:

I just spent 5 minutes in the cold and my nose started running. People with a
runny nose are likely to wipe it with their hands and then touch a doorknob or
something, facilitating the spread of disease. Runny noses are far less likely
in warm weather. And secondly, by the article's own admission rhinovirus
replicates faster in cold conditions, while our own cells (and presumably
immune system) are suppressed in cold conditions.

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folli
Counterpoint: [http://www.nature.com/news/cold-viruses-thrive-in-frosty-
con...](http://www.nature.com/news/cold-viruses-thrive-in-frosty-
conditions-1.13025)

 _[...]low temperatures dampen natural defences against rhinoviruses, the
leading causes of seasonal colds, in mice and in human airway cells[...]_

~~~
NyxWulf
Thanks for that article. It also links to this study from 2005 showing a
correlation between accute cooling of the feet and the onset of cold symptoms
in humans. The studies on cell apoptosis were attempting to show why
(according to the nature article). Interesting that the original article
doesn't mention this 2005 study.

[https://academic.oup.com/fampra/article-
lookup/doi/10.1093/f...](https://academic.oup.com/fampra/article-
lookup/doi/10.1093/fampra/cmi072)
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16286463?dopt=Abstract&h...](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16286463?dopt=Abstract&holding=npg)

~~~
torgoguys
> Interesting that the original article doesn't mention this 2005 study.

But it does and even links to it. (As does the article in folli's link.)

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lemming
Another counterpoint (from a centre investigating the common cold):
[http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/common-cold-centre/the-common-
cold](http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/common-cold-centre/the-common-cold)

 _Can a chill cause a cold?_

 _A study at the Common Cold Centre in 2005 took 90 students and chilled their
feet in cold water for 20 minutes and showed that the chilled group had twice
as many colds over the next 5 days as a control group of 90 students whose
feet were not chilled._

~~~
bandrami
Pretty much impossible to blind that study, though: the subject definitely
knows whether or not his feet have been in cold water for 20 minutes.

~~~
ghostly_s
You could sedate them, I suppose. Although I wouldn't be surprised if that
would overcast entirely the suppressing effect of the water.

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voidlogic
I am probably wrong, but my understand has been that being cooler longer-term,
say living at 50 degrees reduces peripheral circulation. This provides a place
for the virus to replicate with less immune interference.

It seems like many of the studies to disprove cold temps -> rhino are just
acutely exposing people to more extreme cold temps. I also wonder, what we
colloquially refer to as colds is a superset of rhinoviruses, any study should
prob. test all the common cold viruses?

Also, a probably controversial tangential anecdote, my wife and I started
taking 3 Vitamin D (2000 IU Summer, 3000 IU Fall/Spring, 4000 IU Winter) a
year ago and neither one of us has gotten the cold or flu since _knock on
wood_. This is not only surprising considering numbers of sick co-workers, but
also an anomaly historically for us. I know Vitamin D has an effect on the
passive immune system that lowers TB and influenza infection rates, I wonder
if this same is true for rhinoviruses....

~~~
autokad
the problem with 'studies' is that they try to treat the world as binary, when
its all systems.

the vitimin d thing is interesting, cold = dont go out = dont get vitimin d.
try sleeping in a cold room with no clothes/blanket. will wreck your immune
system fast.

~~~
Jtsummers
Honest question, do people really find sleeping in cold rooms with little/no
clothing to cause illness? I'm probably an outlier (last illness was food
poisoning in 2003), but I sleep through the winter in boxers, covered in a
light sheet, with the heat set low (65F, higher if I had a GF at the time and
she was sleeping over).

Is it the shock to the body for those unaccustomed to it, or just another area
where I'm at outlier?

~~~
autokad
i think 65 with a sheet is within the optimal sleeping range :) i should have
quantified, <60 = cold

~~~
voidlogic
A lot of people don't realize too warm is bad too, less restful sleep,
elevated cortisol etc

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bambax
Cold weather increases odds of catching a cold because it makes us more likely
to stay indoors with other people, some of which may be sick and contagious.

Also, burning wood in a fireplace is very bad for your lungs and respiratory
system and can make you more susceptible to infections.

Get outside and you probably won't catch anything. Norwegians let their babies
nap in sub-zero temperatures and they're fine!

[http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21537988](http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21537988)

~~~
semi-extrinsic
FWIW, we generally bring the babies inside for naptimes once it drops below
-10C (14F). Otherwise they nap outside all year, true.

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GordonS
My understanding is that its not _technically_ the person being cold that
increases the odds, but the fact that the air is generally drier when its cold
outside. This allows viruses to travel further, and also causes the nasal
passages to be drier, letting bacteria enter more easily.

~~~
manmal
I catch most colds when the weather is humid, so the cold air can creep
underneath my clothes.

------
adamsbriscoe
Meanwhile, history buffs might appreciate that we're still using a 16th
century[0] term to describe a disease that is being studied 60+ years after
etiological discovery[1] for which available remedies are modestly effective
and not without risks [2][3].

[0]
[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=cold](http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=cold)
[1] [http://blog.wellcomelibrary.org/2013/09/fighting-the-cold-
wa...](http://blog.wellcomelibrary.org/2013/09/fighting-the-cold-war-david-
tyrrell-and-the-common-cold/) [2]
[http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-
abstract/185731...](http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-
abstract/1857319) [3] [http://retractionwatch.com/2016/12/29/jama-article-
zinc-comm...](http://retractionwatch.com/2016/12/29/jama-article-zinc-common-
cold-retracted/)

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SiVal
A few years back I saw a study that reported that cold viruses survived longer
outside the human body in cool temperatures than in warm (not below freezing,
but the equivalent of refrigerating them.)

That makes sense, and since you won't get a cold unless you pick up a viable
cold virus, this would imply that the chance of getting a cold would be higher
in cooler weather, because there are more cold viruses on the surfaces around
you that haven't yet been denatured by heat.

I don't know if this hypothesis has been explicitly tested, but it seems to me
as though it could explain why people get more colds in winter than in summer
but are not usually made sick by playing in the snow or taking a plunge in
frigid water. The cold doesn't do anything to the people, it just preserves
external viruses longer making the environment "dirtier".

~~~
Ayaz
Although, ICU and emergency wards at most if not all hospitals are kept cooler
than other places in part to slow the rate of growth of bacteria, viruses and
other similar organisms that can spread infections.

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kovek
My experience has been that going outside in the cold (-15C) with only minimal
layers of protection did not cause a cold. I did however notice how, if I was
sitting in a hot bus next to the cold window, such that only part of my body
was cold (like the right arm), I would start to feel ill.

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mikeash
Anyone have bright ideas on how to convince someone that this is true? My wife
absolutely believes that not dressing warmly enough will make you sick, and it
drives me mildly crazy.

~~~
csydas
I'm afraid it's probably just too rooted in tradition. My parter and her
mother are Russian, and Russians hold to this theory like you wouldn't believe
- if the two of them had it their way, I'd be bundled up and ready to go to
Oymyakon even if it's 5C out. :)

I appreciate their concern of course, but it's just one of those long-lasting
ideas that has little sway, despite my partner getting sick far more often
than me while dressing up with far more during cold snaps than I do.

On the plus side, борщ every day once it starts getting cold.

~~~
mikeash
My wife is Chinese and the Chinese seem to have a crazy amount of medical
superstitions. This is the one that bugs me the most, but there are so many
bizarre rules she tries to follow.

It's interesting because her family is, for the most part, educated, rational,
and sane. But certain things.... I guess it's tradition, like you say. Makes
me wonder what crazy stuff I believe.

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salmonellaeater
You are more likely to catch a cold when the weather is cold, because people
stay inside more, viruses live longer in living spaces during dry winter
conditions, etc.

You are _not_ more likely to catch a cold when you yourself get cold or
chilled, as shown by the 1958 randomized trial and other experiments.

The article's title ought to be amended to make it clear that the latter
situation is being discussed.

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omash
Here are some assumptions I've made that make me think being cold does
increase the chance of illness:

• Feeling cold increases stress. ⇒ Stress weakens the immune system.

• Being cold expends energy. ⇒ Fighting a virus requires energy.

• Being cold increases blood pressure. ⇒ High blood pressure is not conductive
to good health.

• The cold reduces circulation. ⇒ Reduced circulation is detrimental to
health.

~~~
mseebach
If only someone had reviewed the actual research on the subject and written an
article about it.

~~~
omash
The research isn't conclusive. The research about stress, blood pressure and
circulation is much more so.

------
mkagenius
I used to have cold mostly in winter for years. But i self-discovered that it
was allergy which started with a couple of sneeze and went to take the form of
cold and cough in couple of days. So, now whenever I feel like I am about to
get cold(disease), I take allegra and boom it doesn't go further than that
sneeze.

~~~
koonsolo
Do you know against what you had the allergic reaction? Because most season
based allergies are during summer with grass pollen and the like.

I'm asking because my daughter also has allergy in winter, but they didn't
discover against what (no dust-mites or anything like that)

~~~
mholmes680
I would suspect first, in the winter, mold/mildew -- including the foods list
in link here. [https://www.achooallergy.com/learning/mold-allergies-in-
wint...](https://www.achooallergy.com/learning/mold-allergies-in-winter/) .
Tho, i'm sure you tested for that as well... hope you find the trigger.

I have also found that most typical minor "cold" symptoms for me stop
immediately by taking Claritin D. I suspect its drying out things in the
sinuses, and reducing some inflammation.

------
IgorPartola
For me it is usually cold dry air that seems to cause post-nasal drip. Once I
get that, it's a good chance I will get a sore throat, and it goes from there.

Being outdoors is usually fine, but sleeping under a strong AC or driving in
the cold with windows down is almost a sure fire way to get this started.

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pasta
I absolutely don't know if this is true: but my doctor once said that your
nose and cavities are having their 'period' every 6 weeks or so, just to clean
up. Most people don't even notice this. But this is when you are most
vulnerable to viruses.

Maybe someone know if this is true.

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averagewall
Part of the perception might be that people do get runny noses and sneeze more
in cold weather (at least I do). That feels a bit like having a cold so our
minds might connect them and subconsciously feel it's the same thing.

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overcast
I thought it was basically that your body is spending more energy keeping your
body warm, and not as much defending yourself from cooties. So you get sick
from lowered immune system response.

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rihegher
ah ah, this sound paradoxal! But it just because in english a cold is called a
cold and not something less connoted like nasopharyngitis.

~~~
Grue3
Not just in English. In Russian it's called "простуда" (coldness). In Japanese
it's "kaze" (wind). Spanish "resfriado" (cooled). And so on.

~~~
TeMPOraL
Polish "przeziębienie", which would roughly translate to 'state of being
thoroughly overcooled'.

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jaequery
i find cold increases your immunity. whenever i feel getting sick, i jump in a
cold bathfor abbout a minute. it is something i been testing for past few
years and i can say it seems to work about 80% of the time.

sometines you just need to put some shock on your body to wake up your immune
system. i feel this is an area we haven't researched enough.

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Johnny555
From the article:

 _It has been postulated that when it’s cold, people tend to congregate
inside. This behavior makes it easier, of course, for viruses to be spread
from person to person_

I've always thought this to be the case, and if true, then cold _does_
increase the odds of catching a cold.

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redcalx
Is there any work showing correlation with Vitamin D status?

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tmaly
Rousseau said the same thing in his book Emile.

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brooklynmarket
Go outside on cold day. Don't dress for it. Come home. Have cold.

Think have enough data.

