#Seven ways to bolster your immune system against long colds

As temperatures drop and the first sign of frost appears, our thoughts turn to staying healthy through the winter months – especially after the past few years of Covid and nasty flu infections. If you were one of those people who had a cold that wouldn’t shift last year you won’t be surprised to hear that researchers from Queen Mary University of London have confirmed that – like the unlucky few who develop long Covid – symptoms of respiratory infections such as the common cold can also persist for more than a month, causing coughs, stomach pain and diarrhoea.

Whether or not a long cold has you in its grips, many of us could benefit from focusing more on our immunity, suggests Sheena Cruickshank, immunologist and professor in biomedical sciences and public engagement at the University of Manchester. “Modern life is rubbish for our health,” she summarises. “It favours sedentary lifestyles, being in front of computers, eating convenience food and feeling stressed. All those things are bad for our immune systems.”

In fact, they can cause a “very common” but little-discussed condition called meta-inflammation. A healthy immune system involves lots of different types of white blood cells, working together and in balance, Cruickshank says. “With meta-inflammation, they become imbalanced. You get more of the rapid responders like neutrophils, which trigger inflammation, and less of the specific cells, lymphocytes, which actually make antibodies and kill viruses.” Essentially, you’re more at risk from lurking lurgies. But don’t panic. “If you fix your diet and lifestyle, it can return to normal. It’s not so much a boost, as a rebalance.” Here’s how you do it.