Chief Medical Officer at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital Dr. Kevin Most joins the Steve Cochran Show to discuss whether blood thinners can make you feel cold, how the cold frigid air can affect your immune system, and he explains how buying golf clubs could potentially make you smarter.
Dr. Kevin Most’s Steve Cochran Show Notes:
Why do we feel colder as we age
- We all know that as people age, we see them with a need for that extra blanket or a sweater, why?
- There is more than one reason, and taken in total it is not surprising
- Our skin is much thinner, and having thinner skin allows for the heat to leave our core easier.
- Couple that with less fat which acts as insulation and those two reasons will cause arms and legs to feel colder
- We lose muscle mass as we age, and muscles when used use more oxygen and creates the heat that keeps us warm.
- We know that our circulation is not as robust as it is when we are younger, so less blood flow to our extremities makes us feel colder
- Diabetes also impacts our blood flow to our extremities and the damage done over years impacts the flow
- What can you do- Stay active- this helps maintain muscle mass as well as generates heat
- Maintain a healthy diet to slow the impact of diabetes as well as to maintain your muscle mass.
- Light weightlifting, with things as simple as a bottle of water or can of soup – increases the blood flow to your extremities and maintains muscle mass
- In the winter, layer clothes and wear mittens not gloves as the isolation of fingers in gloves will make them feel colder.
Colds in the winter, why? Cold air has an impact on our immune system
- Estimates are that individuals in the US suffer 1 billion colds a year
- Colds are caused by viruses and these viruses are around all the time, so why more in the winter?
- Some viruses actually are better prepared to survive cold weather, such as influenza
- We know with more indoor gatherings the chance of being closely exposed increases
- With holidays we see great amounts of travel which allows viruses to travel across the country or around the world to spread more easily.
- Probably one of the most important reasons was just identified recently, that is the impact on cold weather on our upper respiratory tract and more importantly our nose
- Researchers have shown that decreases of 9 degrees inside our nose kills 50% of the cells in our nose that fight viruses and bacteria, this is a common decrease when exposed to cold temperatures
- The cold air damages the immune response that occurs in our nose, so being exposed to a virus or a bacteria when the immune system is damaged leads to more infections.
- The nose is amazing, it identifies a virus or bacteria and tells the immune system to turn on defenses, the goal being to limit the chance of serious infection, another reason why nasal vaccines work
- The nose will produce cells to fight off infection once identified, but in the cold up to 50% of those cells are damaged or destroyed, thus more infections and severe infections.
- Why did influenza cases and common colds drop dramatically during the pandemic? Washing hands, distancing for sure but also masking kept our noses warmer.
- Should we all wear socks on our noses, probably not but walking in cold weather with a scarf may help you immune system , block frostbite and decrease your chance of catching a cold
Want to increase your cognition? Buy some golf clubs??
- A study out of the University of Eastern Finland has shown a few interesting things
- Walking about 3.7 miles or playing 18 holes of golf improved cognitive function immediately following the exercise
- The study showed the impact of age appropriate aerobic exercise
- Previous studies showed that exercise is a strategy that slows cognitive decline.
- The study looked at individuals over the age of 65, who participated in 3 bouts of intense aerobic exercise in a real life environment, using EKG heart monitors
- The researchers then assessed cognitive function with a test that measured attention, processing speed and demanding skills
- Both types of exercise completed at the correct pace showed improvement in the cognitive tests immediately after the exercise
