Does chicken soup really cure the common cold?
The study situation for the popular home remedy is slim – but it is recommended even by scientists.
Helps you get back on your feet faster: good old chicken soup.
Photo: Getty
It’s one of our oldest home remedies – chicken soup. However, it is still largely unknown why it is believed to relieve colds and coughs.
After all, there are isolated scientific studies that suggest a positive effect. Already 20 years ago, an American study came to the conclusion that chicken soup inhibited the activity of a group of immune cells, the “neutrophil granulocytes”, and therefore probably anti–has an inflammatory effect. Small fly in the ointment: The study was carried out only in vitro, that is to say not in humans, but in the laboratory.
Rich in protective substances
Despite the paucity of studies, there are good reasons that speak in favor of chicken soup: chicken meat also contains protein building blocks such as cysteine or carnocine, which act as antioxidants and can also inhibit the inflammation and protect body cells.
In addition, the various vegetables in the soup with their secondary plant substances strengthen the immune system.
But it can also simply be due to the beneficial effect of the warm, easily digestible liquid: “A hot soup promotes blood circulation and loosens mucus – naturallyand without any side effects,” says David Fäh, preventative medicine and nutritionist at Bern University of Applied Sciences.
The expert: David Fäh (48) is a preventive medicine doctor and nutritionist; he is a researcher and teacher at the University of Zurich and lecturer in nutrition at the Bern University of Applied Sciences. The medical specialist is the author of numerous publications and books (including “Release stress-free” and “Genussvoll gluten-free”).
Photo: PD
However, Fäh sees the greatest benefit of chicken soup in the recovery phase: “Especially if someone has been sick for a long time and suffered from a loss of appetite, the nutrients in the soup can help regeneration.”
Stephane Aerni, has worked in journalism for almost 40 years, since 2013 as a health editor. It’s not entirely a coincidence: After being diagnosed with MS, he now wants to combine the essential with the useful and report on medicine and health – from the perspective of the affected patients.
More information
Found a bug? Report it now.