A new research has discovered that the more tattoos you get, the better your immune system will work to protect you from various infections including common cold.
Now mom and dad have no reason to not let you get a tattoo – or ten. You now have a solid reason to defend what you want! Tattoos can offer you a surprising health benefit.
Researchers from Alabama University say that when you get your first tattoo you have a low resistance, but the more tattoos you get, the more your immune system starts getting stronger and prevent you from getting sick.
According to Dr. Christopher Lynn, professor of anthropology at UA, getting a tattoo doesn’t only hurt but it also exhausts you. Therefore, it’s easier to get sick. He said that literally “you can catch a cold” from getting a tattoo because your defenses are lowered.
“After the stress response, your body returns to an equilibrium. However, if you continue to stress your body over and over again, instead of returning to the same set point, it adjusts its internal set points and moves higher, ” he explained
The feeling of getting a tattoo can be quite similar to the one you feel when exercising in the gym. At first, the affected area will itch and muscles will hurt but if you keep exercising the pain will gradually vanish and you’ll continue getting stronger.
The study behind this discovery
Researchers recruited 29 participants and asked them questions about their tattoos, the numbers of tattoos they had and the time involved in the procedure. They took samples of saliva from the participants before and after tattoo sessions. Researchers analyzed these samples and measured the levels of immunoglobulin A and cortisol.
Immunoglobulin A is an antibody is an antibody that works like some kind of a shield that fights against some minor infections. On the other hand, cortisol is a hormone that is known for suppressing the immune response.
Researchers discovered that those participants who just got their first tattoo had their levels of immunoglobulin and cortisol lower than those who received tattoos more frequently
“Tattooing may stimulate the immune system in a manner similar to a vaccination to be less susceptible to be future pathogenic infiltration.” The study reads.
Having tattoos is something “trendy” today, and most people just get their skin permanently inked just to keep up with it. There have been numerous studies that said that getting tattoos could be dangerous in terms of health, but with this new research getting ink sealed within your body sounds like a bright idea.
The study involved a relatively small sample. Therefore, the outcome has its limitations and is not conclusive. Still it provides an exciting evidence of how well the body can respond to stresses over time.
Source: Huffington Post