How tattoos may offer protection from the common cold

Close up tattoo artist demonstrates the process of getting black and red tattoo with orange paint. Master works on the professional blue mat in black sterile gloves. (ivan-river.com)

Tattoos don’t just make people look tough, they actually can help fight off diseases, according to a new study.

Researchers at the University of Alabama found that inked-up individuals have a better chance of beating a cold than tattoo virgins.

Just like a body gets stronger as a person continues to work out at the gym, it can build up a tolerance to regular inkings.

“After the stress response, your body returns to an equilibrium,” Dr. Christopher Lynn, one of the three UA professors who worked on the study that was published in the American Journal of Human Biology in March, said in a release.

“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.”

Lynn’s team analyzed saliva samples from 29 volunteers before and after they got tatted up. Nine of the participants were newbies and the rest already had a few tattoos.