{"id":4318,"date":"2025-07-08T16:39:50","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T16:39:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/landart.rt5.ca\/attraper-rhume-en-ayant-froid\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T17:33:02","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T17:33:02","slug":"catch-cold-from-being-cold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/landart.rt5.ca\/en\/catch-cold-from-being-cold\/","title":{"rendered":"Can you catch a cold from the cold?"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve all been told this by our mother or grandmother:<\/p>\n

\u201cPut on a coat! It\u2019s cold, you\u2019ll get sick!\u201d<\/strong> Or my favorite: \u201cDress warmly! You\u2019ll catch a chill! Or worse, your death! Ha ha!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Far be it from me to question the wisdom of our elders, but\u2026 is it true? I had understood in recent years that this idea had been debunked, since we now know that colds and the flu are viral or bacterial infections, not illnesses caused directly by the cold.<\/p>\n

However! There are always two sides to every story, aren\u2019t there? In the world of metabolism and the immune system, things are rarely that simple \u2014 and never purely black or white!<\/p>\n

Catching a cold from the cold: myth?<\/h2>\n

I did a bit of digging just in case \u201cthey\u201d had changed their minds, but no \u2014 the medical verdict remains the same: the cold does NOT give you a cold!<\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u2019s right. You could spend hours naked in a refrigerator, or even pass out a little tipsy face-first in a snowbank after a Christmas party, and you still wouldn\u2019t catch a cold. What you could end up with are frostbite or hypothermia, which are definitely not desirable.<\/p>\n

\u201cCold and flu viruses spread through saliva and mucus projected into the air by coughing and sneezing. Simply being near a sick person can expose you to their virus, which lingers in the air.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to Dr. Karl Weiss, microbiologist and infectious disease specialist at Montreal\u2019s Jewish General Hospital:
\u201cBecause we\u2019re indoors more often in winter than in summer, with people carrying viruses, it\u2019s normal that we\u2019re more exposed. But it has nothing to do with the cold.\u201d<\/strong>
Thank you, Dr. Weiss, for that brilliant explanation!<\/p>\n

But\u2026 were our grandmothers completely wrong?<\/h2>\n

What if \u2014 and I say IF \u2014 our grandmothers weren\u2019t entirely wrong? Because let\u2019s face it: the world hasn\u2019t exactly become perfect since \u201chard science\u201d took over our lives.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve traded our good old grandmother\u2019s remedies for lab-made pills. But maybe we should have kept a more open mind. If our ancestors were tougher than us, maybe there was a reason for it.<\/p>\n

Now don\u2019t worry, I\u2019m not about to launch into a rant about today\u2019s healthcare system. But I did wonder if there might be another angle to consider: how does the body respond when it already carries a cold virus?<\/p>\n

How does cold affect the body?<\/h2>\n

We all know that spending a few minutes shivering outside in the snow is bad for the human body. But what exactly are the effects of low temperatures on the body?<\/p>\n

To understand how cold influences us, remember this: body temperature depends on balance. The body must balance heat production with heat loss. Without this balance, it cannot maintain its core temperature of 37\u00b0C (98.6\u00b0F).<\/p>\n

When a fever develops, body temperature rises. That rise helps destroy bacteria or viruses that cannot tolerate excess heat. It also boosts the immune system\u2019s activity against infection. That\u2019s why the question is worth asking.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the link between cold and colds?<\/h2>\n

So I kept digging. What I found is that debate still exists.<\/p>\n

Two main arguments appear often:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    Cold air may dry out respiratory passages, making us more vulnerable to infection.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    Some cold viruses may adhere better to dried-out nasal mucosa.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    But since this is not consistent across all viruses, we can\u2019t say for sure.<\/p>\n

    There\u2019s also the hypothesis that the immune system \u2014 or at least its response to invaders \u2014 weakens when we are cold. Again, after hours of searching, the answer was still murky\u2026 until TADAAAM!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    I came across a fascinating Yale University study, published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences<\/em>. The article confirmed that the innate immune response to rhinoviruses (the most common cause of colds) is impaired at lower temperatures compared to normal core body temperature.<\/p>\n

    The study strongly suggested that temperature variations mainly affect the immune response<\/strong>, not the virus itself.
    \u201cIn general, the lower the temperature, the weaker the innate immune response to viruses,\u201d<\/strong> noted Dr. Iwasaki, lead author and professor of immunobiology at Yale.<\/p>\n

    In other words \u2014 and much to my delight \u2014 research may FINALLY be giving some credit to old wives\u2019 tales about keeping warm, even covering your nose, to avoid catching a cold.<\/p>\n

    So, what\u2019s the truth?<\/h2>\n

    In conclusion: no, cold air itself doesn\u2019t give you the virus that causes a cold \u2014 we already knew that.<\/p>\n

    But cold temperatures do impair the immune system<\/strong>, making it less effective at fighting off certain viruses. So bundle up! You might be carrying a virus without knowing it, and your system needs your help to fight it off.<\/p>\n

    Psssst\u2026 You can also give your immune system a boost this winter with supplements from Land Art, like vitamin C<\/a>, ginseng with royal jelly<\/a>, vitamin D<\/a>, or organic adaptogenic mushroom extract<\/a>. These are powerful, natural allies. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

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    References:<\/strong><\/p>\n