Chicken soup might help your cold feel better ' but it's not a guarantee

Scientists have tried to test the idea that chicken soup is good for a cold.Some studies suggest it couldsoothe inflammationand clear out a stuffy nose.There research isreally scant, but we do know that chicken soup is hydrating and nourishing.At some point in your life, afamily member has probably told you to eat chicken soup when you have a cold. But is there anything special about chicken soup that actually helps you feel better'To answerthis question, a lot of people point to a studypublished in the journal Chest in 2000.Lead authorDr. Stephen Rennard wanted toexplore why chicken soup seems to make colds feel better. So he made a batch of his wife'schicken soupa recipe handed down by her grandmother andstudiedits effect immune cells collected fromhuman volunteers.Rennardfound that the souphinderedthe movement of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that fights infections. He concluded thatthat chicken soup may soothe inflammation the source of manyunpleasant cold symptoms.This study has gotten alotof publicity over the years.In 2014,he said he was stillgetting calls from reporters who wanted to talk about it.Butit's good to take a step back andnotethe study's limitations. Itdidn't actually test the effects of chicken soup on real people with real cold symptoms. It only found that, in a test tube, chicken soup can affect the way some cells behave, and it didn't explain which ingredient in the soup might be responsible.But one 1978 study didtest chicken soup in actual humans.For this experiment, 15 volunteers drankhot water, cold water, and chicken soup. The results showed that both hot liquids helped to clear nasal mucus faster than cold water, but the chicken soup was most effective of all.Those two studies basicallyform thetotality ofresearchon colds and chicken soup. And since it's a tiny amount of evidence, we can't draw sweeping conclusions about how or why chicken soup might work.But as The Nurse Practitioner noted in 2003, we do know that chicken soup provides hydration and nutrientstwo thingsyour body needs while fighting infections. Besides, nobody needs a scientist to confirm that sipping on something warm and filling when you're sick just feels good.Sign uphereto get INSIDER's favorite stories straight to your inbox.Join the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: New Yorkers are lining up for these extra-large soup dumplings
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