With the onset of cold weather in North America, depending where you are on the continent, the temperatures are only heading downward in the months ahead. The changes can be gradual or sudden on any given day.
Individuals respond differently to temperature fluctuations, but generally people in good health take up to two weeks to adjust to a sizeable increase or decrease in degrees. However, this adjustment process tends to be slower in the cold.¹
Baby, It’s Cold Outside
The chilling effects of winter can affect your health in obvious and not so obvious ways. Wearing warm clothes and footwear protects you from the huge temperature drop as soon as you step outside. This is especially important for older adults, who are more susceptible to having their body temperatures drop too low (hypothermia) from prolonged exposure, even to mild cold weather.²
Another obviously risky effect on your health is the slippery conditions outdoors, so take your time walking and wear footwear that grips the ground like winter tires.
Otherwise, you can lose your balance, slip on icy roads or sidewalks and come crashing to the ground. Along with the embarrassment of falling in a public place, falls can cause different degrees of injuries, including bruises, cuts, fractures, broken bones or head injuries.
One of the not so obvious effects that winter can have on your well-being goes straight to the heart. Not being properly dressed for cold temperatures may bring on shallow breathing, constricted blood vessels and slightly thickened blood, all of which can increase stress on your cardiovascular system.³
Another not so obvious cold effect is related to your nose. The myth that cold weather causes colds and flus has been further dispelled by “nosy” research. It turns out that in the lining of your nose, there are tiny sacs filled with fluid (extracellular vesicles) that swarm invading viruses to prevent them from entering the respiratory tract. But freezing temperatures drop the presence of these nasal protectors by 42 percent.⁴
Furthermore, nose vesicles have surface receptors that viruses stick to, which allows these pathogens to be eliminated in nasal mucus. But the number of surface receptors is reduced in the cold, so viruses bind to cells in your nose. In other words, the change in temperature compromises your nasal immune system, leading to the onset of colds and flus. Winterizing by covering your mouth and nose with a scarf or mask keeps the temperature in your nose warm enough to keep nasal vesicles defending you.
AIM for Winterizing Inside Out
On the outside, dry winter air can suck the natural moisture from your skin. The daily use of astaxanthin has been shown to improve skin moisture, so taking the nutricosmetic BioVivify can help in winterizing your skin from the cold.
On the inside, doubling down on AIM’s nutrient-dense, whole-food powders adds nutritional support for your immune system. Taking CoCoa LeafGreens or the Garden Trio’s BarleyLife, Just Carrots and RediBeets floods your body with nutrients and phytonutrients, many of which protect cells as antioxidants and help promote immune-cell growth and activity.⁵ Studies reveal that being undernourished puts people at a greater risk of illnesses caused by pathogenic bacteria and viruses.⁶
Proancynol 2000 was formulated to support your immune system. Seven antioxidant-dense ingredients produce a swarm of diverse, free-radical-fighting molecules that helps to protect your entire body from damage caused by oxidative stress.
Using the entire cranberry to formulate the extract in CranVerry+ results in increased support for your immune system. The entire antioxidant-rich formulation helps in defending you against oxidative stress and its resulting inflammation.
By teaming up FloraFood with Fit ’n Fiber, you give your body good bacteria (probiotics) and the fiber (prebiotics) that feeds them. This synbiotic combo gets to the core of the immune system in your gut, providing support.⁷ The Bifidobacterium bifidum in FloraFood is helpful in enhancing your body’s immune response and limiting the increase of harmful microorganisms.
AIM’s diverse selection of products offers supplemental nutrition that works at improving and maintaining your health, this winter and season after season.
References:
¹ bit.ly/Adjusting1
² bit.ly/HeartCold
³ bit.ly/ColdAging
⁴ bit.ly/NoseVesicles
⁵ bit.ly/Nutrition4Immunity
⁶ bit.ly/Undernourished
⁷ bit.ly/MicrobiotaNutrition
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