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As the season of sneezing and grabbing tissues begins with the autumn's first frosts, medical researchers have found that "granny's nostrums" to fend off colds may be scientifically proven.
Although apparently common sense, straightforward connections between chilling and viral infection have been hard to prove, according to the common cold centre at Cardiff University--the world's only centre dedicated to researching and testing new medicines for the treatment of flu and the common cold.
But the latest experiment reinforces theories that existing, latent infection can be activated when parts of the body, particularly the feet and nose, get wet and cold.
All participants took off their shoes and socks and temperatures were monitored throughout the experiment.
Ninety volunteers who spent 20 minutes with their feet in bowls of iced water have provided evidence that failing to wrap up warmly is directly linked to falling prey to sore throats and a bunged-up nose.
Claire Johnson and Ron Eccles found that 29% of the volunteers developed cold symptoms within five days.
"When colds are circulating, many people are mildly infected but show no symptoms," said Professor Eccles, whose findings are published in today's issue of Family Practice magazine.
"But if they become chilled, this causes a pronounced constriction of the blood vessels in the nose and shuts off the warm blood that supplies the white cells that fight infection. "
"Although the chilled subject believes they have 'caught a cold', what has in fact happened is that the dormant infection has taken hold."
But they also suggested that another explanation could be that our noses are colder in the winter. Prof Eccles said: "A cold nose may be one of the major factors that causes common colds to be seasonal."
"When the cold weather comes we wrap ourselves up in winter coats to keep warm but our nose is directly exposed to the cold air. Cooling of the nose slows down clearance of viruses from the nose and slows down the white cells that fight infection."
The researchers said:" Parents should feel confident in telling children to wrap themselves up in those nose-protecting garment this winter."
