Click here to visit the new home of that's fit!

Hot on HuffPost Healthy Living:

AOL.com
MAIL

En Español

That's Fit

Send Feedback

Can a little booze help tackle a cold?

Posted on Dec 18th 2007 1:30PM by Adams Briscoe

Filed Under: Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements

We've heard about zinc potentially helping a cold, but have you ever tried booze to stave off that icky feeling? That would be an interesting excuse for having a hotty toddy in the office! The idea here is that putting a little alcohol in your system would hopefully kill the germs responsible for a cold and get rid of the symptoms. But is there any truth to it?

Science tells us that drinking can dehydrate the body, even a little bit. Seeing as how you need fluids to fight a cold, this inebriation could actually increase the symptoms. So even if you feel a bit relieved after downing that Irish coffee, it's not killing the cold.

However, two big studies support the conclusion that a bit of alcohol could definitely help prevent a cold from taking root in the first place. Apparently a person's resistance to getting a cold is increased with moderate drinking. Carnegie Mellon found this out in 1993, but in 2002 researchers in Spain conducted an even larger study and found the same results. Having at least 8 glasses of red wine per week reduced the likelihood of getting a cold by upwards of 60 percent. They "suspect" it has something to do with antioxidants. But hey, that's just one more benefit to drinking wine!

Source

14 Comment

Tags: alcohol, brandy, cold, fever, symptoms, whiskey, wine

Around the Web

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Vishaal 12-18-2007 @ 2:44PM

I think this is all the placebo effect. Some people think that they will get better from a cold if they sleep all day, or drink gallons of water, or drink nothing but hot tea. And if it makes you feel better than go for it. It's all in the mind.

Abhi 12-18-2007 @ 3:06PM

When I was younger, my parents used this trick, but by burning out the alcohol in a spoon or two of whiskey. The whiskey itself helps you go to sleep (even without the alcohol) and relaxes your body, thus allowing your immune system to work more effectively in fighting off the cold/virus.

Margaret 12-20-2007 @ 2:23PM

My mother in Scotland swore by this and now it is being used in another continent.....
Make a strong hot toddy.
Scotch (lots)
Pure Lemon Juice. (Vitamin C)
Honey to taste - I use heather honey.
Drink it very hot while wrapped in a cozy blanket - this will sweat it out of you. Hey - even my husband now sweats by it. It does work.

KR Bicek 12-20-2007 @ 2:29PM

For a bad cold, the doctors say, take aspirin, drink fluids, get rest. I say "Drink a case of beer." You won't need the aspirin, you'll get lots of fluid, and I guarantee plenty of rest!

Belle Starr 12-20-2007 @ 3:01PM

Try Chicken Soup with some J D and Tabasco Sauce . And some good biscuits . Always works around these parts . Leave out the J D when dealing with kids .

Belle Starr 12-20-2007 @ 3:08PM

I have a friend who swears by a double shot of Ginger Brandy and a Bottle of Beer taken twice . It may not cure , but you warm and restfull .

Blackdog 12-20-2007 @ 3:39PM

My Lord, was the person who wrote this article born yesterday? First, learn the correct jargon if you're going to write about it and second, why go to such lengths to write about something that most people, except those born yesterday, already know?

truckin2702 12-20-2007 @ 3:42PM

THATS WHY I NEVER GET A COLD

Fritaly 12-20-2007 @ 4:36PM

Alcohol might kill germs but it damages your immune system.

Swab your nose and ears with colloidal silver (or use hydrogen peroxide in your ears). Take some colloidal silver orally, take vitamins and avoid fake foods and additives!

And avoid household toxins!

Bret 12-20-2007 @ 6:11PM

Hey, that colloidal silver turns that guy blue.

Carl Tapp 12-20-2007 @ 5:04PM

FOR SEVERAL YEARS, I HAVE HAD SUCCESS STOPPING A COLD OR SORE THROAT BY USING A LITTLE COLLOIDAL SILVER . HOLD IT IN THE MOUTH AND SWISH IT AROUND BEFORE SWALLOWING SLOWLY . SILVER HAS BEEN PROVEN TO KILL MORE THAN 650 PATHOGENS , INCLUDING
STAPH , GONOCOCCUS , SALMONELLA AND EVEN THE AIDS VIRUS ON CONTACT , FOR A MINIMUM OF 6 MINUTES .

Violet Lucas 12-20-2007 @ 5:16PM

TAKE VITAMINS DAILY !

vaughn 12-20-2007 @ 8:52PM

A hot cup of Black Tea, with 1/4 lemon juice (freshly squeezed) and a touch of honey is all I used to fight my flu off! I was over the flu in 3 days! I drank this about 4 times a day and when I got hungry drank some chicken soup. My flu was out the window in no time... It works!

Fritaly 12-21-2007 @ 1:30PM

Bret- there are many possible causes for this and NONE of them are because of the silver itself.
How it was made, where it was stored, etc.

Of course don't drink GALLONS a day or anything but using it within reason is perfectly safe.

Scare tactics by the FDA to try to get you to 'trust' all these dangerous OTC and 'conventional' medicine things even though herbology and natural medicine has THOUSANDS of years, millions or billions of people who've used it and people who are EDUCATED about it know what's safe and effective for what problems.

Don't bother with the greedy, know-it-all (doesn't he wish!) MD (which stands for master's degree, nothing too special about THAT) go for a Naturopath- they address you as a whole person, not as one system or another, but one big, complex, interactive machine- one that responds positively to proper diet, and avoidance of toxins. The human body has AMAZING abilities if you are 1- AWARE of them 2- give it the proper building blocks 3- let it PRACTICE (very important- the immune system is like muscles- don't use it you lose it or it goes attacking YOU instead of germs!)