Ways to protect yourself from winter illnesses

Winter comes and once again we have runny noses, headaches, sore throats, coughs and fatigue. The drop in temperatures is accompanied by the reappearance or worsening of a host of disorders and pathologies, including asthma attacks, cardiovascular diseases and even blood circulation disorders in the fingers (Raynaud’s phenomenon). ).

However, what hangs over our noses are above all respiratory diseases, “the most frequent infections in our latitudes”, specifies the D^re Noémie Boillat Blanco, assistant doctor in the Infectious Diseases Department of the Vaud University Hospital Center (CHUV). It is estimated that during the cold months they affect around 30% of the population. Caused mainly by viruses and more rarely by bacteria, they take multiple forms, “and cover a whole spectrum ranging from the most benign – the common cold – to the most severe – pneumonia – including the flu, angina , nasopharyngitis, Covid-19 or bronchiolitis in infants,” notes the specialist. The average adult catches two or three colds per year and the child even more.

Increased transmission of viruses

How to explain it? Cold favors the resurgence of these diseases because it weakens the immune system. It also causes contraction of blood vessels, especially those in the respiratory system. But above all, “winter favors promiscuity and gatherings of people in enclosed and poorly ventilated places”, recalls the D^re Boillat Blanco. Nothing like it to facilitate the spread of respiratory viruses. “We had proof of this during the Covid-19 crisis: thanks to protective measures, for two years, there was no seasonal flu epidemic,” recalls the infectious disease specialist.

The best prevention against winter illnesses remains vaccination, when available. We can now protect ourselves against the flu, Covid-19, but also recently against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), “responsible for bronchiolitis in newborns and pneumonia in the elderly”, underlines the D^re Boillat Blanco.

However, it is also possible to prepare for the arrival of winter illnesses by taking care of your healthy lifestyle. Starting with his diet.

Don’t eat more fat

“Humans must maintain their body temperature. When it is colder, he has to expend more energy for that,” remarks Fr.^r Pedro Marques-Vidal, clinical research specialist in the Internal Medicine Department of CHUV. We therefore tend to eat more, and fatter, in winter than in summer, because the foods in question are those which provide the most calories. However, “this is not necessary,” emphasizes the professor, “except for people who work outside or have to face extreme cold. They can eat a little more, without emphasizing fat.”

The specialist also recommends consuming a variety of fruits and vegetables. But there is no point, he says, in resorting to food supplements: “We showed that there was no association between the consumption of vitamin supplements and immune status. Those who take it do not have more antibodies against bacteria and viruses than others.

The best, he concludes, is to eat “almost like in summer”, without forgetting to drink regularly. “Heated rooms are also most often dry, so we tend to become dehydrated.”

Move and sleep well

Throughout the year, it is essential to practice physical activity to maintain good health. But the cold does not encourage exercise. “It does not encourage people to leave their homes to walk or go to a gym,” admits the internal medicine specialist. However, underlines the D^re Boillat Blanco, “it’s not because we go for a walk that we will catch a virus”.

Sleep also plays a big role. A tired body is weakened and defends itself less well against illnesses. The p^r Marques-Vidal therefore advises keeping a regular sleep schedule.

In addition, we would have everything to gain from rediscovering the good reflexes acquired during the emergence of Covid-19: wearing a mask in busy places, adopting the famous “barrier gestures”, washing our hands regularly, but also ventilating regularly his accommodation. Notice to the lucky ones: another strategy can also be to spend the winter in a warm country!

Weakened immune defenses

“We are not carriers of the viruses responsible for respiratory infections, we catch them from the outside,” recalls the D^re Noémie Boillat Blanco, assistant doctor in the Infectious Diseases Department of the CHUV. It is then up to our immune system to fight off intruders. These entering through the nose, they are first confronted with the mucous membranes and nasal cilia “which constitute our first line of defense”, continues the specialist. However, as heated air dries the mucous membranes and cold irritates them, this barrier is weakened.

The nose has another weapon: the extracellular vesicles present in the cells of its mucous membranes. These small particles, which we emit when we are exposed to respiratory viruses, recognize microbes, inhibit them and prevent them from multiplying in our body. According to an American study published in December 2023 in “The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology”, when temperatures drop, the nasal mucosa secretes fewer of these vesicles; the antiviral effect is therefore reduced. For the D^re Boillat Blanco, “this is the first scientific study providing proof that cold affects our immune system and our defenses against respiratory infections”.

Cold is bad for the heart

Our hearts and arteries also suffer in winter. Low temperatures in fact lead to “an overload of work for the heart”, underlines the P^r Pedro Marques-Vidal, clinical research specialist in the Internal Medicine Department of CHUV. In addition, prolonged exposure to cold causes blood vessels to contract and slightly increases blood pressure, as shown in a study carried out by the CHUV specialist and his colleagues. They also found that low temperatures accentuate other cardiovascular risk factors. “In December, in the Northern Hemisphere, we observe a peak in cholesterol linked to the tendency of people to eat a little more fat,” specifies the P^r Marques-Vidal. It is therefore not surprising that there is an increase in mortality from cardiovascular diseases in winter.

IN COLLABORATION WITH PLANETE SANTÉ

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