Association between alcohol consumption and common cold prevalence

An experimental study involving administration of the common cold virus and several cohort studies in Europe and Japan have revealed a statistically signifi-cant negative association between the frequency of alcohol consumption and prevalence of symptoms of common cold. Alcohol- and aldehyde-induced increases in blood flow, attenuation of psychological stress, or undetected factors involving daily habits of alcohol consumption may mediate such effects, which need to be further investigated.