Staying warm might come at a cost, at least for the immune system.
A study recently published in Cell Metabolism suggests that when mice are exposed to cold temperatures, their bodies may reroute energy reserves away from immune function to prioritize keeping warm.1 The study authors from the University of Geneva reported that the cold triggers changes in immune cells that can reduce autoimmune activity.
The study is based on a relatively old idea; when circumstances take a turn for the worse, the body focuses its efforts on so-called “maintenance programs,” such as staying warm or defending itself from threats as small as microbes. This principle prompted Mirko Trajkovski, a professor studying immunometabolism at the University of Geneva and senior author of this study, to wonder how this might necessitate a delicate energetic balancing act with consequences for health and disease.
“We thought that an underexplored area in this theory ...
