Answer :Stephen Rennard, MD, of the University of Nebraska Medical Center published research on this topic in the journal Chest in 2000 thats since become almost as celebrated as chicken soup itself. Yes, chicken soup contains a number of substances-including an anti-inflam-matory mechanism-that could ease the symptoms of upper-respiratory-tract infections such as the common cold. Specifically, Dr. Rennard demon-strated that chicken soup reduces the movement of neutrophils, the most common white cells in the blood that defend against infection. This in turn decreases activity in the upper respiratory tract that can cause symptoms associated with suffering from a cold. The study was unable to identify the exact ingredients in chicken soup that relieve cold symptoms, but plain chicken broth did not affect neutrophil activity. Dr. Rennards grandmother-in-laws recipe proved effective, as did several commercial chicken soups.
