At the same temperature, children feel slightly colder than adults due to physical characteristics.
But be careful with this impression, because the smallest remains very vulnerable to hypothermia.
At different ages in life and depending on various factors, we are more or less risk averse.
Did you know you can be allergic to the cold? As revealed by the McGill University Health Center in Montreal, cold urticaria manifests itself as a skin rash with itching, redness and swelling. In 20% of cases, it leads to a potentially fatal anaphylactic reaction. Children are the first to be affected by this extremely rare disease. However, they rarely feel cold. It has been scientifically proven.
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Like hibernating animals, newborns are born with brown fatty tissue called brown fat. Its name is not very attractive, but it is necessary for thermal regulation of the body. Located around the heart, kidneys and spine, the amount of brown fat decreases over the years. An adult has only a few hundred grams of this adipose tissue. It is replaced by the so-called white fat (actually, yellow in color) which acts as an insulator and energy reserve. Thus, adults and especially older people tend to be more cautious than the younger generation.
Beware of hypothermia in children!
Children are not afraid of cold. And yet, they are more susceptible to it than adults. Because their thermoregulation system is not yet fully developed, they suffer from hypothermia, which results in redness, cold skin, and general lethargy.
Babies who are not yet walking cannot warm themselves through movement. Unable to shake due to an insufficiently developed nervous system, newborns must be well-strapped when they walk. Due to their sensitivity to cold, great caution should be exercised.
Why do we become more cautious as adults?
Interviewed by the Huffington Post, Claude Jandel, head of the Geriatrics Center at Montpellier University Hospital, explains that older people have more difficulty coping with colds, as the regulation of thermogenesis becomes less effective as we age. However, its role is to maintain body temperature.
According to a 2023 study conducted by researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, other reasons explain the differences between adults. Because of the absence of the protein, alpha actinin 3, muscle fibers slow down and feel less cold. This lack is explained by a genetic mutation that affects about one in six people in the world. To these are added hormonal factors, thyroid function, blood circulation, body fat percentage and physical activity level.
