The idea that chicken soup is the remedy to the common cold may not be as much of a placebo effect as some may imagine. Although it is not a complete cure to your winter woes, chicken soup is seen, with scientific backing, to improve hydration and nutritional health in an individual, increase the clearance of mucus, and even possibly reduce the strength of the inflammatory response that comes hand-in-hand with viral infections.
A study done by B. Rennard et al looks at the ability of chicken soup to inhibit neutrophil chemotaxis in vitro. This study compared different dilutions of a traditional chicken soup recipe, different stages of preparation and isolation of different ingredients in that same recipe, and various commercially available chicken soup recipes in comparison to the main control. The soup significantly inhibited the migration of neutrophils, and the concentration of the soup was very influential in the effect of inhibition. Early stages of the soup preparation revealed little activity of inhibition, but as time progressed and more ingredients were added to the mixture, an increase in inhibition of neutrophil chemotaxis occurred. Also, when regarded separately, all the ingredients of the traditional chicken soup were seen to all have inhibitory effects. Lastly, thirteen different chicken soup recipes were tested against the "traditional" chicken soup recipe used in the previous experiments. Five of these recipes actually had higher levels of inhibition, while two of the recipes had no activity.
It is stressed in the study that this was performed in vitro, so limited evidence could be obtained about anti-inflammatory activity of chicken soup. But there are effects that have been observed with in vivo use of chicken soup, including stimulation of nasal clearance and improvement of upper respiratory tract symptoms. All in all, its not just a coincidence that chicken soup has been thought to be the "cure-all" for the common cold for centuries, so listen to your grandma and drink up!
I found it very interesting that chicken soup has a anti-inflammatory effect. When doing some research I found that there are many other foods that can boost the immune system such as garlic, types to tea, whole grains and of course orange juice. You mentioned in your post that there were some recipes that had more of an effect that the original chicken soup. I wonder which added ingredients have this effect.
ReplyDeleteI have grown up hearing about the benefits of chicken soup when you are sick, but this study is certainly interesting. Have you read anything about proposed mechanisms or what ingredients may specifically be affecting chemotaxis?
ReplyDeleteMy mom making me steaming hot chicken noodle soup was the one thing I looked forward to whenever I got sick a child. Although the neutrophil immunological effects my not be significant in getting over a flu or a cold, I definitely felt some instant results when I had my hot soup with the hot steam and liquid. It can be compared to a warm steam humidifier: it moistens the nasal passages which makes it easier to breath and expel mucus. So even if there might not be any evidence showing long term benefits, I definitely feel the short term benefits of a greater ease of breathing and a tasty treat. I'm starting to feel a little sick, so come on Chicken Noodle Soup!!!
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ReplyDeleteAfter looking through the paper, they listed plenty of ingredients that seems to carry beneficial effects, but it seemed that once they were all added into the chicken soup as a whole, they synergized each other in order to achieve overall beneficial effect and created the highest amount of inhibition. When testing different parts of the soup, they noted that the broth with vegetable particulates had a very high level of inhibition. The recipe they used during the experiment called for the vegetables that were boiled to then be pureed and readded to the soup...maybe this technique has something to do with its level of inhibition? Just a thought!
I thought it was interesting that they said (in the discussion) that pureed vegetables is not a recomended remedy when sick. Maybe they were specifically addressing cold, pureed vegetables that would not stimulate nasal clearance, but with the addition of pureed vegetables to the "Grandma's soup" recipie, it added to the inhibitory effect. Also in figure 6, there were a few vegetable soup's that provided neutrophil chemotaxis.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I understand, it is the vegetables and warmth that does the trick. I couldn't find the specific article, but I did find a page with Rennard talking about the chicken soup benefits. I was just thinking that lots of soups utilize similar vegetables )parsnips, turnips, carrots, celery, potatoes) and chicken broth but lack just the chicken and noodles. Minestrone soup usually has nearly the same ingredients yet it doesn't seem to have that magic charm. I wonder if this is due to physiology or just the mental healing feeling we get with chicken soup. After all, mental attitude and stimulation can play a role in a person's overall ability to return to a healthy state.
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