ROCHESTER — When I decided to explore what cold exposure might do to your lungs, I looked to the north to Alberta, Canada. On the day I interviewed Dr. Michael Kennedy about cold exposure and lung health, it was minus 27 degrees Fahrenheit outside of his office window. This guy knows about cold.
Kennedy, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport and Recreation at the University of Alberta, is a trained exercise physiologist and cross country skier. And for many years, he traveled with athletes as a ski race technician. He's seen what exercising in extreme cold can do to athletes' lungs.
"I don't want to scare people," Kennedy said. "But a large number of ex-cross-country ski racers, especially females, have raced in some sort of cold weather race where that specific event has changed their lung health forever."
How cold is too cold? Kennedy's research shows that 5 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 15 Celsius) may be the threshold. And this applies to anyone of any age who is spending active time outside.
Watch or listen to this podcast as Kennedy explains the risks of being outside in extreme cold and how to protect your lungs.
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Follow the Health Fusion podcast on Apple, Spotify and Google podcasts. For comments or other podcast episode ideas, email Viv Williams at vwilliams@newsmd.com. Or on Twitter/Instagram/FB @vivwilliamstv.
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