“Cold weather does not cause illness.”

Low temperature (11/19 studies) was most often associated with increased risk of RTI. … This review showed that low temperature is often associated with increased risk of RTIs in urban areas

Physiological and pathological effects of short-term exposure to cold are well known (Holmér et al. 2012). Low atmospheric temperature induces vasoconstriction and increases systolic and diastolic blood pressure, blood viscosity, blood cholesterol, platelet count, and red blood cell count in a matter of hours (Keatinge et al. 1984; Neild et al. 1994), which may increase the risk of atherous plaque rupture, myocardial infarction, and stroke.

When exposed to cold temperatures, your body begins to lose heat faster than it is produced. Prolonged exposure to cold will eventually use up your body’s stored energy. The result is hypothermia, or abnormally low body temperature.

But, he says, the cold weather itself doesn't cause the common cold.

Exposure to cold temperatures, whether indoors or outside, can cause other serious or life-threatening health problems.

It has been well documented that non-optimum ambient temperature could elevate the likelihood of hospitalization and death for a range of respiratory diseases including pneumonia. … Our findings indicated that both low temperature and high temperature were linked to higher pneumonia mortality, and low temperature showed the larger risks, which are consistent with previous studies.

A cold is a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract (also called an upper respiratory infection or URI). … More than 200 respiratory viruses can cause colds.

The data available suggest that exposure to cold, either through exposure to low environmental temperatures or during induced hypothermia, increases the risk of developing upper and lower respiratory tract infections and dying from them; in addition, the longer the duration of exposure the higher the risk of infection. … Although not all studies agree, most of the available evidence from laboratory and clinical studies suggests that inhaled cold air, cooling of the body surface and cold stress induced by lowering the core body temperature cause pathophysiological responses such as vasoconstriction in the respiratory tract mucosa and suppression of immune responses, which are responsible for increased susceptibility to infections.

These phenomena suggest that exposure to cold weather increases a person's vulnerability to health concerns such as the aforementioned "colds" and asthma. … Very cold temperatures, lower than 0°C, can damage normal physical barriers and impair normal immune functions, resulting in greater susceptibility to infection from pathogens.

The pooled and single-study estimates revealed that the incidence of respiratory syncytial virus (RR = 0.14; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.09–0.23), influenza virus (IV) (RR = 0.40; 95% CI: 0.27–0.61), human metapneumovirus (RR = 0.48; 95% CI: 0.32–0.73), human coronavirus (HCoV) (RR = 0.21; 95% CI: 0.07–0.61) and SARS-CoV-2 (RR = 0.52; 95% CI: 0.35–0.78) decreased per 1° C temperature rise

However, experiments involving inoculation of common cold viruses into the nose, and peri- ods of cold exposure, have failed to demonstrate any effect of cold exposure on susceptibility to infection with common cold viruses. … Present scientific opinion dismisses any cause-and- effect relationship between acute cooling of the body surface and common cold. … Modern textbooks of virology (White et al., 1999), dis- miss any cause-and-effect relationship between cold exposure and common cold, and often ridicule the idea as an erroneous folklore.

Our review shows that exposure to low temperature increases the occurrence of RTIs in urban areas, and where also high population density increases the infection risk.

Mechanistically, exposure to either high or low temperatures can exacerbate the incidence and severity of LRIs [7, 12]. … Exposure to low temperatures causes vasoconstriction of the bronchial and respiratory mucosal blood vessels, triggering cold stress and suppressing immune responses. These pathological and physiological reactions reduce the body's resistance to LRIs [12].

The findings support the hypothesis that cold weather causes asthma. … This population-based case-crossover study provides new evidence that a cold winter increases the risk of developing new asthma during the following 1 to 2years.

Our findings that the selected aspects of immune function measured in this study were not adversely affected by a moderate exposure to cold air are reassuring. … This study suggests that, despite popular beliefs that cold exposure can precipitate a viral infection, the innate component of the immune system is not adversely affected by a brief period of cold exposure.

The relationship between cold air and the incidence of URTI is an established fact, but there is controversy about ‘if ‘and ‘how’ cold air may cause or predispose to URTI. … A relationship between chilling of the body surface and URTI is even more controversial than that for exposure to breathing cold air and URTI. … No scientific or clinical evidence has been found to support the idea that ingestion of cold products such as ice cream predisposes to sore throat or common cold and there is no satisfactory mechanism to explain how ingestion of cold products could influence onset of URTI .

This study provided updated evidence that cold exposure (both low temperatures and cold spells) could elevate the risk of cardiovascular disease–related mortality and morbidity.

Cold temperature and low humidity were associated with increased occurrence of RTIs, and a decrease in temperature and humidity preceded the onset of the infections.

Respiratory infections can be caused by cold air through increased bronchial inflammation caused by association of trigger factors such as cold and infections are both able to destabilize the patient. … Even in subjects without respiratory diseases, cold air can induce changes in the airways. Exposure to cold air can increase the number of granulocytes and macrophages in the lower airways [22]. Furthermore, cold-related impairment of respiratory mucociliary function can inhibit the clearance of pollutants [23]. Finally, in extreme cold temperatures, people tend to gather indoors and crowding can promote the transmission of infectious agents with ensuing airway inflammatory events.

A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine in the late 1970s famously debunked the belief that the common cold is linked to cold exposure, but British cold researchers have maintained that there is a cold–to–common cold connection.

Exposure to cold can cause direct harms, such as hypothermia and frostbite, and can also exacerbate chronic medical conditions, sometimes resulting in death.

Germs called viruses cause a common cold. … Many viruses can cause a common cold. Rhinoviruses are the most common cause. … Time of year. Both children and adults are more likely to get colds in fall and winter.

It also turns out that a person's immunity is not functioning as well in the winter months. That's because cilia, which are small, hairlike projections in the upper respiratory tract that usually move foreign objects out of your nose, don't function as well during the cooler temperatures and lower humidity.

An inverted V-shaped curve was observed between temperature and influenza incidence during the cool seasons at the national level, indicating ambient low temperatures were associated with increased morbidity risk (Figure S3 in[Multimedia Appendix 1](#SAP1)). … In general, the lower the temperature threshold used to define cold spells, the higher the cold spell associations with influenza incidence ([Figure 1](#F1)). … Cold spells significantly increased the morbidity of seasonal influenza in China, especially in the Jiangnan region and in metropolitan areas, and the effect varied with climatic zones and socioeconomic levels.

The data available suggest that exposure to cold, either through exposure to low environmental temperatures or during induced hypothermia, increases the risk of developing upper and lower respiratory tract infections and dying from them; in addition, the longer the duration of exposure the higher the risk of infection.

Cold weather doesn’t directly cause illness — germs like rhinoviruses and influenza viruses do. … But the bottom line is that cold doesn’t cause illness, although weather or other factors may weaken your ability to fight off illness.

While cold weather does not directly cause a cold, the viruses that cause colds may spread more easily in lower temperatures. … Viruses, such as rhinoviruses and influenza, cause colds and the flu, not the weather.

But, he says, the cold weather itself doesn't cause the common cold.

While it might be optimal to dress in warmer clothes when it's cold outside, research indicates that cold weather — just like going outside with wet hair — doesn't make you sick.

Respiratory season usually hits in the fall and winter months, but you won’t get sick just because the weather’s colder or wetter. … All this to say, the weather isn’t infecting you. What it is doing is making you more vulnerable.

The data available suggest that exposure to cold, either through exposure to low environmental temperatures or during induced hypothermia, increases the risk of developing upper and lower respiratory tract infections and dying from them; in addition, the longer the duration of exposure the higher the risk of infection. … Although not all studies agree, most of the available evidence from laboratory and clinical studies suggests that inhaled cold air, cooling of the body surface and cold stress induced by lowering the core body temperature cause pathophysiological responses such as vasoconstriction in the respiratory tract mucosa and suppression of immune responses, which are responsible for increased susceptibility to infections.

While it’s smart to dress appropriately in cold weather, research shows that cold weather doesn’t make you sick.

There is conflicting evidence regarding whether cold exposure exacerbates or mitigates inflammatory conditions, with some studies indicating protective effects while others report detrimental outcomes (Di et al., 2024; Liu et al., 2023; Stanford et al., 2013) . … Cold stress induces a complex of structural and functional changes in respiratory epithelium that compromise its barrier function and increase susceptibility to pathogenic microorganisms (Nakamura & Morrison, 2008; Nedergaard et al., 2007; Nicholls & Locke, 1984) .

Colds, flus and other respiratory illnesses are often more common in colder months. People are indoors more often, allowing viruses to pass more easily from one person to another. And the cold, dry air may weaken resistance.

Cold temperatures themselves do not cause infections. … Colds and flu are caused by viruses, not by cold air. … What the evidence does not support is the idea that simply being cold, such as stepping outside without a coat, directly causes a cold or flu.

Being out in cold weather doesn’t cause the common cold. … But, he says, the cold weather itself doesn’t cause the common cold.

Changes in body temperature and exposure to seasonal viruses make you more susceptible to catching illnesses such as the common cold and flu.

Cold temperatures themselves do not cause infections. … Colds and flu are caused by viruses, not by cold air. … What the evidence does not support is the idea that simply being cold, such as stepping outside without a coat, directly causes a cold or flu.

A new study published by researchers at Northeastern University in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunologyhas determined that cold weather may, in fact, play a role in how likely you and your child are to succumb to sickness (Thomsen, 2022). … The researchers found that inhaling cool air (<40° Fahrenheit) through the nose in the winter season may impair the nose’s antiviral immune response function (Huang et al., 2022). This impairment makes individuals more susceptible to respiratory viruses such as Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), influenza, and the common cold.

Thus, this study demonstrated no effect of exposure to cold on host resistance to rhinovirus infection and illness that could account for the commonly held belief that exposure to cold influences or causes common colds.