Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)WITH the rain beating down outside and the cold wind blowing you may be tempted to snuggle under a duvet and stay indoors… but new research shows that exercise helps to ward off colds.
In autumn and winter, adults can expect to suffer on average two to five colds but those who exercise regularly are less likely to get one.
Researchers at America’s Appalachian State University questioned 1,000 volunteers over a three month period about how frequently they exercised.
They also looked at their lifestyles, diets and anything causing them stress – all of which affect a person’s immune system.
What the researchers discovered was that being older, male or married reduced the frequency of colds.
Also eating plenty of fruit helped.
But the most important factor was exercise which cut the risk by nearly half.
Those physically active on five or more days a week were unwell with a cold for only five days of the three month period compared to nine days for those who did little or no exercise.
