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Do you get the common cold by standing out in the cold? TV show aims to find out

Participants will be taken up Cairngorm Mountain to stand in the cold for 10 minutes. Picture courtesy of Cairngorm Mountain Facebook page
Participants will be taken up Cairngorm Mountain to stand in the cold for 10 minutes. Picture courtesy of Cairngorm Mountain Facebook page

Highlanders with the ability to withstand winter’s worst are being asked to step forward and brave the cold on a Cairngorm Mountain next Tuesday as part of a pilot TV show which focuses on topical health stories.

Filming will take place at the top of funicular railway, where volunteers will have to remove their jackets and stand in a t-shirt and jumper for about 10 minutes.

Afterwards, everyone will go into the cafe to warm up, but doctors will monitor all the volunteers to see if any symptoms develop.

Doctors will also take nasal swabs from participants as part of the experiment to see who carries the rhinovirus, deemed to be the most common cause of the common cold. Research suggests that many people carry this virus without ever knowing it.

The experiment will be part of a pilot programme being produced by Belfast-based Tern TV, which will be aired on Channel4 in May.

Tern TV researcher Philippa Duke said: “We are trying to dispel or prove if these myths about catching the cold from being out in the cold, are true. This stunt is just a bit of fun, but it is also a chance to do a bit of science.

“The common cold is probably one of the most common illnesses that people can get, so it’s strange to think that there is not a lot of research into it, so I think it’s going to make for a good experiment.

“From our own research, we are expecting that the people with the virus will be more likely to get a cold.”

Anyone aged between 18 and 65 who is interested in participating should send an e-mail to healthshow@terntv.com and include a telephone number, so that the company can get in touch.