The flu is one of the most common illnesses, but people don’t know as much about it as we think. The health section of the MSN website summarizes 10 little-known facts about colds that people can keep in mind. 1. It takes about 48 hours for the common cold to infect a person. When feeling like you have a cold, it’s best to think back to what you were doing 48 hours ago, and that may be the source of getting a cold. It’s hard to distinguish between the flu and the common cold, but the director of the Common Cold Research Centre at Cardiff University in the UK, Ron Ackles, has provided a way to help you remember. Dr. Akeleys offers a rule to follow: the virus of the common cold does not usually cause fever in adults; sudden onset of fever and cough are the most prominent symptoms of the flu. 2. The best weapon against the flu is physical activity. A study by Appalachian State University found that any exercise has a preventive effect on colds. A quick 30-minute walk five times a week will allow the immune system to successfully fight off colds. 3. Staying up late may lead to colds. Scholars from Carnegie Mellon University published in the Journal of Internal Medicine showed that people who sleep less than seven hours a night are three times more likely to get a cold. People who sleep well are only 1/5 as likely to get a cold as those who don’t sleep well. 4. Vitamin C does not protect against colds. Scholars from the Australian National University and the University of Helsinki in Finland found that vitamin C does not prevent or reduce cold symptoms for most people after a review of more than 30 relevant papers. 5. Echinacea (i.e., pine coneflower) is the most effective natural herb for fighting colds. Scholars at the University of Connecticut found through a study of more than 1,600 people that echinacea not only halves the chances of getting a cold, but also reduces the duration of cold symptoms by 1.4 days. 6, there is a cold virus can make people fat. According to a study conducted at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, children infected with adenovirus-36 (a common cold virus that causes typical cold symptoms and gastrointestinal problems) weighed more than 20 kilograms more than children who were not infected with this strain. 7. Drinking hot beverages can help reduce the discomfort caused by cold and flu viruses. When suffering from a bad cold, drink some hot tea and hot soup to help reduce the symptoms of discomfort. British scholars published in the recent “Journal of Nasal Science” a research result shows: just drink some hot drinks can relieve the discomfort caused by the cold. When suffering from a bad cold, you may want to drink a cup of hot tea with a teaspoon of honey and lemon juice, it can also relieve the sore throat. 8, a component of breast milk will make you feel better. A component of breast milk helps relieve cold and flu symptoms. This derivative of lauric acid (glyceryl-laurate) is a natural fatty acid found in breast milk that can reduce flu and fatigue symptoms. There are supplements that contain this nutritional supplement, but consult your doctor before taking it. 9. The average person will have about 200 colds in their lifetime. It is estimated that by the time people live to the age of 75, they are likely to have had 200 colds, which means that people sneeze for two years of their lives. Children usually get 4-8 colds a year, but the flu is more dangerous to older people. 10. Colds are not highly contagious. Research by the Common Cold Research Centre at Cardiff University in the UK shows that it is quite difficult to pass a cold to a healthy person when they are in the same room with a cold sufferer. In fact, the cold virus is only contagious under certain conditions.