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Why You Rarely Get Sick In The Summer

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There's more than one reason to look forward to summer.  In addition to sunshine, warm temperatures and vacations, we tend to get sick less.  Turns out our genes change with the seasons, just like the weather.

There's a reason why colds are named as such.  During the winter months, our bodies pump up the levels of many of the genes linked with inflammation, triggering the tell-tale signs of swelling and discomfort that our bodies use to protect us from colds and flu.

In the summer, an altogether different set of genes get more highly expressed, including some that help regulate our blood sugar, potentially curbing cravings and helping us burn off excess fat.

A study published by the Diabetes and Inflammation Laboratory at Cambridge University finds that roughly 25% of all the chunks of DNA that code for various behaviors and traits in our bodies, known as genes, shift significantly with the seasons.  Many parts of our immune system, which kicks into action to fend off an infection or cold, shift too.  Researchers combed through data from previous studies looking at people's DNA until they had information on roughly 1000 people living in six different countries: Australia, Germany, the US, the UK, Iceland, and Gambia - a small West African country.  This way, they could get a look at people's genes and how they changed (if they did at all) over time and according to their location and exposure to sunlight.  Previous research has found similar seasonal changes in various components of the immune system.

According to Chris Wallace, one of the researchers of the new paper, "It could be that our inflammatory response developed as a means of fighting things that are more abundant at certain times."   Except for when you are playing hooky from the office.
Categories: health wellness