Saliva Test To Predict Cold
Written by WTJ on December 8, 2008 – 8:34 pm -
British scientists from Loughborough University have developed a method to predict how likely a person to catch a cold. This method can be easily done by individuals at home. The test measures the protein concentration in saliva to study if a person is at risk of infection. Bacteria-fighting antibody, immunoglobulin A (IgA), is being tested in this method. IgA usually fell significantly before a person catch a cold. The cold-prediction saliva test has not been released to the market yet, more research need to be done to increase accuracy.
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Tags: cold, IgA, immunoglobulin, immunoglobulin A, Loughborough University, saliva, Vernon Neville | 2 Comments »
July 11th, 2009 at 6:22 am
Low salivary IgA levels have been associated with increased risk of upper respiratory infections beyond the common cold, but a quick look at salivary IgA to determine risk for catching a cold is kind of cool.
However, I would go one step further and look at salivary cortisol and salivary IgA.
Why?
Imbalances found here (abnormal cortisol levels with low IgA) piece together the puzzle so many of us experience:
high stress = get sick.
Cortisol is released when we stress out, providing the fuel to fight-or-flight. In doing this, our immune response is inhibited which reduces production of IgA. Of course, in modern times, we are not fighting or fleeing, and the stress response is a daily event for many of us.
Thus, for most of us, IgA is inhibited (compromising our first-line immune response) because of STRESS!!
After a while of this, we get SICK!
Incidentally, cortisol is also the little bugger that is associated with diabetes, obesity, thyroid imbalances, and on and on….
And low IgA is associated with increased risk for infections, Celiac disease and other bowel disorders.
We can support IgA with a good diet, stress-reducing measures, and nutrients like glutamine and Saccharomyces boulardii.
There is more to mucosal IgA than cold-prevention. Check this out: http://www.metametrixinstitute.org/post/2009/06/24/IgA-The-I-Stands-for-Interesting!.aspx
September 14th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
I would agree with Kara Fitzgerald when she says low IgA would be associated with increased risk with disorders and diseases. I got sick usually about 2 weeks out of every month so much so I felt like it was “normal” to always be sick. And after I’d say a year of this I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease… and since Celiac Disease if not born allergic to gluten it is triggered by certain things like pregnancy, stress etc. I was never pregnant and considering I was only 15 when I got diagnosed I would think it would be the extra stress my body was constantly experiencing due to being sick most days out of the month-being my trigger for Celiac Disease.
- Jessika : Celiac Speaks – My Personal Notes