While we tend to think of winter as the sniffle season, summer has its own variety of viruses that can get you in their grip. Chances are you may feel worse in summer too, because of the injustice of sneezing in the warm sunshine.

Last year, because of masking and social distancing, cold and flu season was mild. Now that we’re interacting, the risk of catching a summer cold virus is greater, especially as our bodies adjust to new surroundings. As we head into the holidays, we’re exposing ourselves to germs at a time when our immunity against viruses is most vulnerable.

Summer colds are unique to hot seasons when heat stress can also play a part in suppressing the innate immune system. There are over 200 different types of virus that cause colds; whereas rhinoviruses and coronaviruses are often the winter cold culprits – and circulate all year round – enteroviruses are more common in the summer months. The symptoms include a running nose, coughing, sore throat, sneezing, headaches and body aches, all of which most people will recover from in 7 to 10 days.

At Leapfrog Remedies we keep up-to-date with the latest peer-reviewed scientific studies on our hero ingredient of Leapfrog IMMUNE: Lactoferrin. There are 9,091 of them and counting, and we’re leaping for joy about this latest one. It’s a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial – the gold standard of trials – called Effects of lactoferrin on infectious diseases in Japanese summer (Oda et al, Journal of Microbiology, Immunology and Infection. 2020) In the study, 290 people supplemented with Lactoferrin for 12 weeks during the summer months, between June and September. The subjects who took 200mg or 600mg doses of Lactoferrin (extracted from cow’s milk) experienced significantly shorter summer colds than in the placebo group. The results were conclusive:

“In summer, the intake of Lactoferrin attenuates infectious diseases, including summer colds.”

Dr Hamid Merchant from the Department of Pharmacy at the University of Huddersfield agrees:

“The research from Japan shows that Lactoferrin can reduce the duration and severity of a summer cold. Lactoferrin (Lf) is one of the key immunomodulatory substances found naturally in various body fluids, such as saliva, tears, and breast milk, and forms a vital part of the innate defence against invading pathogens. Various studies have demonstrated the antimicrobial properties of Lf and its protective role in respiratory infections. Our own research has shown that Lf supplementation reduces the risks of respiratory infections and also has a beneficial role in symptomatic management and recovery.”

Leapfrog IMMUNE contains 250mg of Lactoferrin, plus Zinc and Vitamin C to help power you through summer colds and get you back on your feet faster.

IF YOU CATCH A SUMMER COLD:

Social distancing

The first few days of symptoms are the most infectious and you can protect others from catching the infection.

Keep the windows open

Keep the air circulating through your home as much as possible.

Hand and oral hygiene

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth if you haven’t washed your hands, as you pick up viruses from surfaces that have been sneezed on.

Get good rest

In the old days, pre-pandemic, we might have battled into the office with a bug. These days, we must put our health first and try to work from home if possible. Take rest, drink plenty of water and eat fresh fruits and veggies.

Take Leapfrog IMMUNE

Chew one tablet at the first sign of a summer cold, then one in the morning and one in the evening until symptoms have disappeared. Or, take one tablet daily, month on/month off – what we call the Pulse Method.

References:
1. Niimi Y, Matsukawa T, Sugiyama Y, Shamsuzzaman ASM, Ito H, Sobue G, et al. Effect of heat stress on muscle sympathetic nerve activity in humans. J Auton Nerv Syst 1997
2. Hirotsugu Oda et al. Effects of lactoferrin on infectious diseases in Japanese summer: A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. Journal of Microbiology, Immunology and Infection. 17 February 2020