As the novel coronavirus spreads around the world, so is a lot of misinformation about how people can protect themselves. Predictably, the pandemic has brands and influencers聽 nutritional supplements and other products that they claim can give聽immune systems a quick and easy 鈥渂oost鈥� to ward off this聽coronavirus and the resulting disease, COVID-19.

Such marketing often exasperates聽immunologists,聽who stress that it鈥檚 not really possible to boost聽otherwise healthy immune systems, explains , an immunologist at the UK鈥檚聽University of Manchester. Nor is that something you鈥檇 want, even if it were a possibility: when people develop severe forms of COVID-19, many聽experts 聽it鈥檚 because their聽immune systems聽are聽spiraling into overdrive and overwhelming their聽bodies.

We just need the nuts and bolts of our immune machinery to work normally. People should strive to have a healthy baseline, says , a virologist who studies coronaviruses at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 鈥淚f they do unfortunately get infected, they鈥檒l be in the best possible situation to fight off this infection and stay healthy,鈥� she says. Thankfully, there are some solid, science-backed ways to do that.

Get Moving

The first item on the list won鈥檛 surprise you: exercise. overwhelmingly agree that people who exercise regularly are less likely to develop seasonal colds and flus, explains , an exercise physiologist at the Human Performance Laboratory at Appalachian State University. For instance, in a 2011 , Nieman and his colleagues tracked over 1,000 adults through the fall and winter 补苍诲听monitored whether they caught a cold聽and how many days they were sick. They found that those who were most physically active鈥攄oing at least 20 minutes of walking, cycling, or other exercise five or more times a week鈥攔eported 43 percent fewer sick days than those with largely sedentary lifestyles.

Muscle contractions increase blood flow and raise body temperature, which are both thought to mobilize immune cells that are usually tucked away in our spleens or lymph tissues. The group of immune cells that surge during and after short bouts of exercise, which include聽 and cells, serve as our frontline defense against invading viruses.

It鈥檚 a transient effect, though, so regular exercise is important. (For people in locked-down parts of the world, there are a lot of options for at-home workouts.)听

However, it鈥檚 possible to have too much of a good thing. After an hour or so of high-intensity exercise, the body starts to suffer from stress, which can impair immune function. Elite athletes can be particularly susceptible to falling ill, so don鈥檛聽push yourself too hard. And obviously, for those who are already sick, that鈥檚 the聽time to rest, not聽exercise, Nieman聽adds.

Eat Whole Foods

The second step toward聽a happy immune system is eating a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit. Since your聽grocery trips聽may be few and far between, it鈥檚 advisable to buy frozen fruits and veggies and more shelf-stable items, like apples, oranges, and sturdy greens, to hold you over until your next outing.

The emphasis here is on balanced,聽Cruickshank explains. Immunologists don鈥檛 know of any one food that does the trick. Not only does a diverse diet provide the vitamins and minerals that immune cells need to function normally, but it鈥檚 also good for the bacteria that live in the gut, which play an role in keeping your immune system working properly, she adds. Do your best not to drink too much, either鈥攁lcohol is to poor immune function.

There鈥檚 little conclusive evidence that聽nutritional supplements like vitamins, iron, or zinc substantially improve immune function. A recent of 25 clinical studies on聽vitamin D,鈥嬧€嬧€嬧€� which included over 10,000 patients, did show that the vitamin has a modest effect in protecting against colds. But there was a lot of variation across studies: some showed no effect whatsoever, explains聽, an immunologist at Queen Mary University of London. It may only be useful to supplement if you are deficient in the vitamin.听

Generally speaking, if you鈥檙e getting enough vitamins from your diet, supplements are unlikely to help much, Nieman says. In previous research, he and his colleagues tried giving large doses of聽 补苍诲听 supplements to elite athletes. Neither produced much of an improvement in immune function. 鈥淭he body doesn鈥檛 work that way,鈥� he explains. 鈥淚鈥檇 tell people to be very wary of any pill or capsule that contains something that supposedly will magically boost the immune system to do its job better.鈥�

Give Your Brain a Break

骋别迟迟颈苍驳听enough sleep could help, too. In by Carnegie Mellon University professor聽 and others, people who got less than seven聽hours of sleep a night were more likely to develop a cold when the researchers exposed them to a cold-causing virus鈥攁 finding by other studies.

Managing may also聽be important. Another of Cohen鈥檚 showed that those who reported more stress in their lives were more likely to develop cold symptoms. One reason for this effect is that the stress hormone cortisol can certain parts of the immune system, Cruickshank says. She recommends simple practices like spending time in nature聽(if possible) and appreciating聽small things.

A lot of these habits are understandably difficult to maintain in the midst of a pandemic. And scientists aren鈥檛 entirely sure whether this advice will necessarily help against this particular coronavirus, since studies have largely focused on less harmful pathogens.听However, many health professionals聽agree that following sane advice to keep our immune systems healthy鈥攅ngaging in moderate exercise, eating a balanced diet, and avoiding stressing out鈥攊s probably our best bet. And that鈥檚 not a replacement for the stuff that can help stop COVID-19 from spreading: washing your hands, staying at home, and keeping up with the latest .

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In the 1950s, while skiing down the powder-covered slopes of the Yampa Valley in northwestern Colorado, local rancher Joe McElroy made an observation about the snow: it was so light and fluffy that it tickled his nose like champagne. The observation was so apt that decades later, Steamboat Ski Resort would the name 鈥渃hampagne powder鈥� to describe its unusually dry, soft snow.听

Many other Colorado ski resorts boast similarly light, fluffy snow, thanks to the state鈥檚 especially cold winter temperatures at high elevations. The snow attracts aficionados from across the country, who prefer skimming effortlessly atop powder over the dense, wet snowpack known to blanket parts of the Sierra Nevada聽in winter, which 聽jokingly deride as Sierra Cement.听

As the climate warms, Colorado may see fewer days of this light powder聽and more of the heavy, moist stuff, according to , a professor of snow hydrology who directs the Center for Water, Earth Science, and Technology at the University of Colorado, Boulder.听鈥淥ne of the first signals that I think we鈥檒l see related to climate change in Colorado is an increase in snowfall density,鈥澛燤olotch聽says. 鈥淎s it gets warmer, that snow will be less fluffy and heavier.鈥澛�

The reason lies in how snowflakes form, thousands of feet above the ground.听Each snowflake begins when water vapor in clouds condenses around particulates鈥攍ike pollen or dust鈥攃reating ice crystals, which begin to grow outward. Because of the聽unique features of water vapor movement at icy temperatures, vapor will condense only onto聽the very tips of the crystals, forming six聽arms, each splitting into many branches鈥攗ltimately, a snowflake. True to the clich茅, each one is indeed unique.

For the quintessential, picture-book snowflake to form, the temperature聽must be between minus 8 and 15 degrees Fahrenheit,聽with a relatively high level of moisture in the air.听Different shapes arise聽at temperatures slightly warmer than 15 degrees聽but still below freezing: columns, prisms, and needles that don鈥檛 look anything like traditional snowflakes. 鈥淚f one were to cast judgment on the beauty of snowflakes, these would not win the beauty contest,鈥� Molotch says.

When the air is warmer, the movement of water vapor inside clouds will slow down.听Instead of condensing onto the outermost tips of ice crystals, water vapor will build all around it, rendering its nascent six-sided structure indistinguishable. Ultimately, this creates thick blobs that often collide with water droplets and other flakes in the air聽and reach the ground as dense, heavy snow. , a snow scientist at New Jersey鈥檚 Rutgers University, calls it 鈥減acking snow,鈥� which is great for crushing into snowballs and snowmen but makes for a more arduous skiing experience.听

No studies have attempted to document an increase in snow density over time, Molotch says. Gathering that data聽isn鈥檛 something scientists can easily determine from satellites or airplanes and would therefore require a lot of work on a large scale. But based on well-understood physical principles about how snow forms under different temperatures in the atmosphere, it鈥檚 likely that Colorado skiers may gradually see less light powder聽as the climate warms鈥攁lthough, Molotch adds, the state鈥檚 snow still has a way to go until it becomes as heavy as snow in the Sierra.听

a spokesperson for Steamboat Ski Resort, says they haven鈥檛 yet noticed a change in the snow there. Steamboat has always seen heavier, wetter snow early in the season. But a little of that is a ; it helps to build a better base for skiing. And even if there were a change, 鈥渄ifferent water content in snow doesn鈥檛 seem to deter anyone from enjoying snow sports,鈥� Duke says.听

While some effects of climate change鈥攍ike increasingly powerful hurricanes and wildfires鈥攁ppear abrupt and sudden, some effects will be nuanced and harder to track. Perhaps the late McElroy, the rancher who first coined the term 鈥渃hampagne powder,鈥� would notice a difference if he saw the snow at Steamboat today. But without the data, Molotch says, there鈥檚 no way to tell.听

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