Study says smokers are more prone to catching common cold

According to new research by Yale University, they have identified a chink in our armor - one that is particularly concerning for smokers, but affects everyone exposed to toxins in the air: while our nose can fight off toxic chemicals (like smoke), and the aggression of viruses, it struggles to do both at the same time.


The finding reveals a delicate balance between various aspects of the body's defence mechanisms, and how this is exacerbated by toxins in products and the environment.


Lead author Ellen Foxman said, “This is a big clue in terms of solving the puzzle' of the common cold.”


Dr. Foxman said, “We get viruses that cause diseases a lot more than we actually get sick. Oftentimes people are getting viruses in their nasal passages but they don't get sick. What if we could find out how to make that happen more often?”


In the US alone, there are 500 million colds a year. Even if you reduce the rate of infections by 10 percent, that's 50 million. To answer that question, Dr. Foxman and her team had analyzed lung and nasal cells in the lab and exposed them to a virus that would trigger a reaction. “We studied the first line of defense against viral infection, which makes the difference between the virus getting killed and you not getting sick at all, or you getting sick.”



Stay tuned for more updates.