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Vitamin pills and icy swims: Can you health hack your immune system?

BBC
Summary
Nutrition label

68% Informative

Our immune systems already do a fantastic job fighting viruses and other nasties.

There is no evidence that people who go cold water swimming have fewer colds or fewer infections.

But regular exercise may give you a younger immune system.

Vitamin C and multivitamins are not going to give you an immune boost.

The decline kicks in " about four or five o'clock in the afternoon ", so you might have better protection if you are vaccinated, or exposed to someone coughing, in the morning.

Smoking damages the lungs so they are a less effective barrier to viruses.

Obesity is another factor that can increase susceptibility to infections as well as the severity by ramping up inflammation.

VR Score

52

Informative language

39

Neutral language

69

Article tone

informal

Language

English

Language complexity

38

Offensive language

possibly offensive

Hate speech

not hateful

Attention-grabbing headline

not detected

Known propaganda techniques

not detected

Time-value

medium-lived

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