Does drinking ice water often make us easy to catch a cold?

Influenza or flu is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus. This disease is easily transmitted through the air when someone coughs, sneezes or talks. The virus that comes out of the air is then inhaled by other people. People who have the flu usually complain of nasal congestion, coughing, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, weakness, fever, and chills.

Many of us avoid drinking cold drinks or eating ice during the flu season, citing the fear of colds. Is it true that drinking ice can make us more susceptible to colds?

Drinking ice reduces the ability of the airway's defenses
Our airway has a defense to prevent infection. The defense, among others, by producing mucus, movement of cilia feathers, and cough response.

When there is a foreign object that enters the airway, the mucus will function to trap the foreign object. Once trapped, the movement of the cilia feathers will sweep foreign objects and mucus into the throat. If there is a lot of mucus mixed with foreign objects, a cough response will appear. The cough response then pushes the foreign object out so that no infection occurs.

If we drink ice, the movement of the ciliary feathers will be disrupted due to cold ice temperatures.

Drinking ice makes the immune system decrease
In addition to the respiratory system, keep in mind that our body also has an immune system to fight infection. But when we eat ice, our immune system cannot work optimally because of vasoconstriction. Vasoconstriction is the narrowing or contraction of blood vessels.

When blood vessels constrict, blood flow will decrease and immune cells that go to that place will also decrease. This causes a person's immune system is reduced and easy to be infected.

Can ice actually cause the flu?
Keep in mind that the flu itself is caused by a viral infection, not because we drink cold drinks. Drinking ice can indeed increase your risk of colds because cold temperatures can make the airway's defense system and immunity decrease. But, the occurrence of a disease is influenced by three things, namely the condition of the person himself, the source of infection, and the environment.

If the person's immune system decreases, for example due to drinking ice, the risk for flu also increases. Virulence and the number of flu viruses also play a role in the emergence of illness. In addition, unhealthy environments such as exposure to cigarette smoke can contribute to increasing the risk of flu.

Which should be done when you have the flu
When you have a cold, you should get enough rest, drink lots of water, don't smoke, and don't drink alcohol. You can also take medicines that can relieve your cold symptoms. But if you feel your symptoms are so heavy that you find it difficult to breathe, see your doctor immediately for further therapy.