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Research just published in the medical journal Chest, has confirmed what many of us have suspected and our grandmothers have long known – that chicken soup does help the symptoms of colds and flu.
Dr Stephen Rennard, a US chest specialist, tested various chicken soups, from a traditional, home made soup, to a number of commercial varieties, in the laboratory.
Dr Rennard found that the soups had anti-inflammatory properties that acted to stop our throats becoming sore and helped stop the movement of neutrophils (white blood cells that encourage the flow of mucus that accumulates in the lungs and nose).
Interestingly for vegetarians, the vegetables in the soup had some of the same qualities as the chicken.