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+--- Thread: Research The secret weapon to fight a cold is inside your nose, new study finds (/thread-19650.html)
The secret weapon to fight a cold is inside your nose, new study finds - C C - Jan 21, 2026
https://www.wsj.com/health/cold-virus-rhinovirus-sick-fight-study-7cf3907d?st=Q3re41&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
EXCERPTS: Winter brings a surge of respiratory illnesses, including rhinoviruses, the most frequent cause of the common cold. How your nasal-passage cells respond to the rhinovirus helps determine whether you get sick and how bad you feel, according to a new study published Monday in the journal Cell Press Blue.
[...] Interferons help coordinate an antiviral defense. If they work fast enough, they stop the virus from spreading.
Cooler air surrounding the cells in your nose and lungs appears to give viruses an advantage. Lower temperatures seem to be associated with the suppression or delay in the production of interferons, according to Foxman.
Harmful environments or substances can worsen your response to an exposure. “Inhaling pollution or cigarette smoke really changes the immune response to the next thing you’re exposed to, like a common cold virus, and that usually means a more detrimental inflammatory response,” she said... (MORE - details)