Whether cold temperatures have anything to do with catching a cold has long been a question that supposedly separates believers in old wives' tales from the scientifically savvy. But while the cold-cold connection is widely considered a medical myth, a new study finds otherwise.
Even a slight chill increases the speed at which rhinoviruses, which cause the common cold, multiply in lab mice, said the study published on Monday by Yale University scientists. Cold temperatures also trigger immune-system changes that let the viruses replicate virtually unchecked.
Scientists have suspected for more than half a century that rhinoviruses thrive in a slight chill. A 1960 study found that they multiply more quickly at 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 Fahrenheit) than at body temperature (37 C, or 98.6 F).