Tag Archives: oxidative stress

Have you ever found yourself sitting near a sneezing stranger, and wonder if you’re going to fall sick next? Do you feel the urge to pull out that pack of cigarettes in your pocket that has been marketed to be good for your health? No! It’s 2018, and research shows that not smoking will increase your chances of fighting a cold.

Ad for “Healthy Smoking” from Nesster on Flickr.

Specifically, recent research supports that someone can be exposed to the common cold, such as being sneezed on, and not get sick. This happens when your respiratory system is “free” to react to germs in the air before they make you sick.

While the common cold doesn’t sound dangerous, it can lead to complications. According to researchers, millions of colds per year in the US are caused by the rhinovirus and lead to hospitalization. In a recently published article in Cell Reports, Ellen F. Foxman and her team of scientists used two different airway cells from the outer lining of the nose and lungs to observe their responses to rhinovirus exposure and oxidative stress exposure. Oxidative stress exposure is when your body doesn’t have enough antioxidants (which can be obtained from eating antioxidant-rich foods and supplements) to balance out oxidants. Oxidants are molecules that can interact with cells in a good way or a bad way.

Disease transmission through sneezing – photo from Wikimedia Commons

The outer layer of the airway normally provides protection from unhealthy parts in the air that gets into the body, including molecules that cause oxidative stress. Foxman’s team studied the protective functions of these cells and found that exposure to oxidative stress increases the cell vulnerability to rhinovirus infection. The study singled out smokers as the patient group the weakest as smoking causes oxidative stress.

Researchers look forward to finding ways to protect against oxidative stress to better defend against rhinovirus infection.

-Alyssa Hui

Have you ever found yourself sitting a little too close to a sniffling and sneezing stranger, and wondered if they’re contagiously sick or suffering due to allergies?

Fortunately, recent research supports that someone can be exposed to the common cold, and not get sick. This happens when your respiratory system is “free” to react to the germs in the air before they make you sick, and not fighting other stress from the environment.

Disease Transmission Through Sneezing – Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Millions of common colds per year are caused by the rhinovirus. According to researchers, 2 million cases develop into respiratory illness, leading to hospitalization. In a recently published study in Cell Reports, Ellen F. Foxman and her team of scientists used two different airway epithelial cells between the nose and the lungs, nasal and lung cells respectively, to observe their responses to rhinovirus exposure and oxidative stress exposure.

Human Rhinovirus – Photo from Flickr

The outer layer cells of the airway normally provides the body protection from detrimental substances in the air. The study focused on the protective response of these cells further and found that exposure to oxidative stress increases the cell susceptibility to rhinovirus infection. This balance describes the natural compromise between taking viral versus oxidative airway damage. Furthermore, the study singled out smokers as the patient group most susceptible to rhinovirus infection, as smoking causes oxidative stress.

The researchers look forward to finding ways to protect against oxidative stress to better defend against rhinovirus infection.

While the common cold doesn’t sound dangerous, getting sick can lead to complications. These complications add to my long list of reasons to not smoke.

-Alyssa