Pixabay/PA ImagesIt’s a well known fact that as soon as we enter the dark winter months, pretty much everyone you know will be struck down with some sort of cold or flu.
There’s no escaping it; as soon as November hits, it’s almost impossible to walk through your workplace, or down the street, without hearing someone coughing their guts up or blowing their nose.
So much so that it’s easy to believe winter colds don’t discriminate against anyone and simply latch on to the first person who crosses their path, but that may not really be the case.
PixabayAccording to scientists, women with larger breasts suffer from much worse colds, having respiratory infections for twice as long as those with flatter chests.
Women with F-cups had colds, coughs and flus that lasted for an average of 8.3 days, whereas those with AA-cups were ill for just 3.8 days – less than half of the time.
The Polish research, published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behaviour and conducted on 163 young, non-pregnant, Caucasian women, also found those with the biggest breasts were up to 56 times more likely to take a course of antibiotics, as per The Sun.
PixabayEach of the women were questioned on the severity of the colds, flu and other respiratory infections they had suffered in the past three years. The researchers noted that while they relied on the health data declared by participants, this was ultimately the best method because it was cheap and efficient.
The research concluded:
Breast size was positively related to respiratory infections and two of its components, average duration of illness and frequency of antibiotic use, indicating that women with larger breasts experienced longer episodes of respiratory diseases and took antibiotics more frequently.
One theory as to why women with bigger boobs suffer from more colds is that the fat in the breasts weakens the immune system, making it harder to recover from infections. Scientists think the hormone leptin, which is produced in fatty tissue and affects the immune system, might be the reason behind it.
PA ImagesWell, there you have it. Apparently the common cold may not be as common as you think – at least not in women with smaller breasts.
Everyone else, I’m sorry but that nasty flu might be sticking around for a tad longer.
Happy new year, I guess.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).