As temperatures drop, concerns about diseases such as colds and influenza increase, which raises questions: Why do we always get sick at this time of year? How do we resist annoying winter germs?
The incidence of colds and flu in the winter is due, in part, to people spending more time indoors, which allows the virus to spread, and also to the fact that cold air can weaken resistance.
According to Dr. Philip Gould, a virologist from Coventry University, viruses and germs spread through the surfaces we touch and the air we breathe. When winter comes, we spend more time in warm homes where viruses can thrive.
Dr. Philip suggests that people focus on boosting their immunity, which tends to be affected slightly during the cold months, to maintain immunity, by following the following tips:
- Keep socializing
It may seem counterintuitive, but it's important to stay social.
Dr Philippe explains: “If you're going to a party with a lot of people, there's a very good chance that someone will be carrying a virus like a cold or flu, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't go. Exposing our immunity to viruses is the only way to make it better.” “Repel it, so you are less likely to get sick in the long term.”
- Do not share food at parties
You should avoid sharing foods if you want to limit the dreaded norovirus infection (a highly contagious stomach bug that causes vomiting and diarrhea for up to three days).
Dr. Philippe explains this process as touching food that other people have touched and then touching your mouth, which facilitates the transmission of infection.
It is usually spread through food or water contaminated during preparation, or through contaminated surfaces and close contact with an infected person.
- Take various vitamins
We're all usually encouraged to take vitamin C supplements to avoid colds, but Dr Philip suggested taking a multivitamin to ward off pesky viruses in the winter.
“You need to take all the right vitamins and minerals to keep your immune system healthy and functioning properly,” he said.
Although the best way to do this is to eat a balanced diet, Philippe said multivitamins can be helpful during a cost-of-living crisis when fresh fruits and vegetables are expensive.
- Moderate exercise
You could try regular brisk walking, climbing stairs, or going for a light jog with a friend, because “regular exercise at a moderate level helps improve the immune response.”
Moving the body can help white blood cells circulate and perform better, which appears to have a positive effect on those cells that kill viruses.
Tiny worms hold evidence of anti-aging!
Aging is an inevitable process characterized by a gradual decline in the functions of cells, tissues and organs.
It has long been linked to a range of diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, neurodegeneration and cancer.
As scientists and medical professionals tirelessly pursue the ambitious goal of slowing aging, cellular degradation is taking center stage as a complex mechanism associated with cell and tissue aging.
If the cells inside our bodies are like small factories, then inside these factories there are small energy centers called mitochondria. These forces help our bodies convert sugar into energy. But while doing so, they produce some waste that can be harmful.
Over time, these waste products can accumulate and cause damage to the delicate machinery within the mitochondria. This damage is one of the reasons why our bodies begin to show signs of aging.
To better understand aging, scientists are studying a small worm called Caenorhabditis elegans, which has some similarities to mammals.
Mitochondria are affected by antibiotics, in a way that does not completely destroy them, but slows them down a little.
In a study published in the journal Aging, the research team tested different drugs on these worms to see if they could make them live longer and be healthier.
Drugs such as doxycycline and azithromycin, which have already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, were given to the worms.
In their first experiments, the team used doxycycline, which has been shown to make the worms live longer. The smaller dose made them live 72.8% longer, while the larger dose made them live 63.64% longer compared to the worms that were not treated with anything.
The worms treated with a small dose of doxycycline lived 19 days, while those given a larger dose lived 18 days.
The team also used a special type of light to check the amount of a pigment called lipofuscin, which increases as the worms get older. After treating the worms with doxycycline for 13 days, they found that a smaller dose reduced lipofuscin by about 50%, and a larger dose reduced it by about 90%.
In the next set of tests, the team used azithromycin and showed that the drug increased the worms' lifespan.
"This supports the theory that mitochondria are significantly involved in the aging process, although this remains a highly debated topic," the researchers said in their study.