Is Chicken Soup really a cure-all for the flu and cold?
CNN reports that hot chicken soup helping alleviate flu and cold symptoms may not be just another tale out of school.
A 40-year old study shows that the familiar medicinal wisdom actually has its roots in science. When compared to plain cold water, hot water, “[h]ot chicken soup, either through the aroma sensed at the posterior nares or through a mechanism related to taste, appears to possess an additional substance for increasing nasal mucus velocity.”
"The mucociliary transport system is important for getting rid of every respiratory infection, including colds.”
CNN recently interviewed the study’s author, Dr. Kiumars Saketkhoo, a pulmonologist and intensivist for PIH Health, who had the following to say:
“It was fun study we did about 40 years ago in Miami Beach, where there's a big Jewish population that believes in chicken soup. They call it 'Jewish penicillin.’”
Apparently, hot chicken soup may activate the mucociliary transport system more than other liquids. That certainly accounts for my grandmother’s belief in the magical effects of piping hot chicken soup (with some noodles tossed in for fun). Dr. Saketkhoo continues:
"The mucociliary transport system is important for getting rid of every respiratory infection, including colds. Whatever can make airways clear up faster may decrease risk of infection or clear an existing infection."
While soup won’t cure the common cold or the flu, it can certainly help. It’s important to note that the studies do not distinguish between commercially available chicken soup and homemade, so busy vet parents need not fret. If you need a recipe, follow the link below for the recipe used in the study (aptly titled “Grandma’s recipe).
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