Work colleagues have been crowned Britain's biggest "Health Traitors", with one in six Brits (16%) believing a workmate is the person most likely to pass them a seasonal bug during workplace flu season, just edging out their partner on 15%. The research, conducted among 2,000 adults for high fibre baobab brand UNROOTED, also found that two in five adults (41%) have secretly concealed being poorly themselves in the past year.
Public transport and hidden illnesses
School-age kids (9%) and fellow commuters (7%) are also among those blamed when sniffles and sneezes start spreading. Nowhere fills Brits with more dread than a crammed Tube, train or bus, with one in three (34%) anxious about catching something while on public transport.
But the nation isn't entirely blameless, as 41% have deliberately concealed the fact they were unwell. The most popular excuse was that it was "just a cold", while others didn't want to create a scene or decided they were healthy enough to continue. More than one in five claimed they were "just tired", one in six attempted to suppress a cough, and 13% resisted the urge to sniff.
Some pushed through regardless, with 14% heading into work while hiding an illness, 7% meeting mates, and 5% even going on a date.
Health traitor crimes and remedies
Brits are equally harsh when they catch somebody else spreading their germs. More than half (54%) say coughing without covering your mouth is the ultimate Health Traitor crime, followed by sneezing without covering up (53%) and neglecting to wash your hands (49%). Snogging someone while poorly, dragging yourself into the office when under the weather, and rocking up at a friend's house while sick are also considered serious social sins.
Four in five people would feel at least somewhat betrayed if someone knowingly met up with them while ill without giving them a heads-up. Yet while we're all trying to dodge everyone else's germs, some Brits resort to unconventional methods to keep the lurgy at bay. One in six have held their breath while walking past someone coughing or sneezing, 15% have jumped into a steaming hot bath, and 12% have gargled salt water.
Others have turned to raw garlic, cold showers, and ice baths. Three per cent have even kipped with an onion in their room, while 2% have stuffed onion or garlic into their socks. Seven in 10 reckon "man flu" is genuine, with more than a third utterly convinced that men make a far bigger song and dance about being ill than women.
Immune health blind spot
The study also revealed a glaring blind spot around fibre, with more than half of Brits (55%) thinking about vitamin C when trying to boost their immune health – yet just 16% consider getting enough fibre. While almost half actively try to get enough vitamin C in their daily diet and 29% prioritise protein, only one in four (24%) ensure they consume sufficient fibre.
Registered Dietitian Nichola Ludlam-Raine said: "We can't completely control who coughs next to us on the train or what children bring home from school, but we can control many of our everyday habits."
"There isn't a magic ingredient that stops you getting ill, but eating well, sleeping adequately and supporting gut health with a varied, fibre-rich diet are sensible foundations."
Britons anticipate spending nearly nine days under the weather between October and the end of December, forking out an average of £119.50 on vitamins, supplements, functional foods and drinks in a bid to fend off seasonal illnesses.
