COLD HARD FACTS

FIVE WAYS WINTER HURTS OUR HEALTH ...AND HOW TO BEAT IT BY CAMILLA FOSTER

- BY CAMILLA FOSTER

AS the recent cold snap sends the thermometer plunging, the chilly weather can take a noticeable toll on different parts of your body.

Here Dr Claire Agathou, co-founding GP of the AZ General Practice at The Wellington Hospital, part of HCA Healthcare UK, highlights five key ways the cold can affect your body more intensely.

1. IMMUNE SYSTEM

Cold weather creates the perfect environment for viruses to thrive.

"Viruses survive and circulate more easily in the cold, dry air and we also spend more time indoors which increases close contact and transmission," explains Dr Agathou. "Cold air can also reduce the nose's local defences by slowing down mucus and the tiny hairs called cilia that track viruses."

2. CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM