‘Jewish penicillin’ helps immune system
Jewish mothers have known for a long time: if you have a bad cold or the flu has got hold of you, there is only one thing that really helps: chicken soup. And not just a few snacks, but a large bowl full every day – and preferably twice a day.
People always laugh about it, but in the meantime entire tribes are doing it: eating chicken soup when you have a cold or the flu. Under the motto ‘if it doesn’t help, it won’t hurt’, our consumption rises sharply as soon as we pronounce it as ‘kibbesoeb’. It invigorates, it eats away easily and that warm liquid at least loosens the mucous membranes nicely. It’s not called “Jewish penicillin” for nothing.
carnosine
Fewer people are aware that this ancient folk wisdom has also been scientifically proven. Chicken soup contains a substance, carnosine, that helps our immune system to deal with colds and flu, the University of Nebraska researched. This amino acid also occurs naturally in our own body and does all kinds of useful things there. For example, it inhibits glycation; a change in cell structure associated with aging. It has also been shown to reduce cataracts in rats.
Not into chicken?
Can’t you save time by just eating a piece of chicken instead of cooking an elaborate soup? The answer to that question is not unequivocal. The researchers cannot say with 100 percent certainty that the carnosine does indeed come from the chicken, although you would expect that. They only compared blood samples from flu patients who had eaten chicken soup and who had not eaten it.
In addition to chicken, the soup used also contained onion, sweet potato, parsnip, turnips, carrots, celery, parsley, salt and pepper. And of course water. The researchers hypothesize that the combination of these ingredients has the best effect. Incidentally, there was no difference in efficacy between homemade soup and canned chicken soup.
Effects?
Carnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine) is, in addition to being in chicken soup and therefore proven to work against flu and colds, also available as a food supplement in the form of capsules and powders. Bodybuilders are especially familiar with it, because it also has a positive effect on tired muscles. Contraindications are not known, although it is recommended not to use such a supplement during pregnancy or lactation, as this has not yet been sufficiently researched.
