9 Weirdest Things Science Has Recently Discovered

1. Tattoos Could Boost The Immune System

There's no cure for the common cold, but the stronger your immune system, the better chance you have of fighting it off in the first place.

But aside from mainlining vitamin C pills (which doesn't work) and bathing in antibacterial gel (ditto), what can you do to bolster your first line of defence? Well, if you listen to researchers at the University of Alabama, you should get a tattoo or 20.

The concept behind this is similar to a weightlifter at the gym. When we begin to lift heavy weights, we're made temporarily weaker as the muscles are damaged, however, they soon repair themselves and become all the stronger for it. The same is apparently true of tattooing and the immune system.

When we get tattooed, it puts the body under a lot of stress. As a result, cortisol levels soar and this temporarily suppresses the immune system. After time the body returns to equilibrium, but it takes a while, and that's why you feel so knackered after a big session. There is, however, some evidence to suggest that repeated inking sessions reduce the stress and improve the body's ability to recover.

In a small study, researchers measured changes in levels of the antibody Immunoglobulin A (IgA) before and after tattoo sessions of 29 people, and tended to find that those with lots of tattoo experience saw less of a dip in IgA, suggesting that their immune system was being less suppressed by stress.

Before you run out and get inked, this was only a tiny study and we don't really know how this tattoo-related immune boost changes from person to person in the real world. On the other hand, it might be a good way to get your mum off your back about your tatts in future.

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