Since You Asked: Can chicken soup combat a cold?

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There are a variety of theories of how chicken soup helps ward off the sniffles. | Matthew Mead~AP

Updated: January 17, 2012 11:55AM

QIt’s the cold season. Can chicken soup help me get through those miserable days?

A. Going as far back as the 12th century, Jewish scholars have touted the effectiveness of chicken soup for a variety of ailments, including the common cold. Even today, when you’re in bed with a cold, someone has either reminded you of its goodness or brought you a piping hot bowl. Are the wonders of chicken soup just cultural myths passed down from generation to generation, or can soup really cure a cold?

Chicken soup is made from a stock or broth and a variety of veggies. In a stock, the chicken bones are cooked for a few hours. This gives enough time for zinc, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium to seep into the liquid stock. These same minerals won’t be in a broth since a broth is typically made from the meat only. Don’t count out the nutritional goodness of broth, though; it’s still brimming with minerals. Of course both soups and stocks are made from a variety of veggies including celery, onion, carrots, leeks, parsnips and turnips — all of their minerals seep into the liquid too.

There are numerous theories of how chicken soup helps ward off the sniffles. One study found that sipping hot chicken soup helped clear stuffy noses, but the study found it was effective only for a few minutes and that it wasn’t any more effective than sipping hot water.

A few scientific studies showed that zinc can help shorten the duration of a cold. However, you need to start taking more zinc within 24 hours of the first symptoms. Many of these studies were done with lozenges or zinc supplements, so it’s difficult to say if chicken soup has enough zinc to be effective.

Other theories claim that chicken soup helps keep you hydrated and soothes a sore throat. And a recent study from the University of Nebraska found that chicken soup may contain anti-inflammatory substances that could help alleviate a cold.

Chicken soup also is a comfort food typically given to children when they’re sick. A warming bowl of the soup may provide emotional and psychological well-being to both adults and kids.

Bottom line: For centuries, chicken soup has been the go-to cold fighter. Although the evidence isn’t terribly strong, numerous studies show that chicken soup may help fight a cold. If you’re a believer, then who am we to dispel the myth of chicken soup?

Courtesy Toby Amidor on foodnetwork.com

Scripps Howard News Service