Does chicken soup really help when you’re sick? Science behind the meal
For generations, chicken soup has been the go-to remedy for colds and the flu, which has been embraced across cultures as a healing meal.
Preparing a bowl of chicken soup for a loved one when they are sick has been a common practice throughout the world for centuries. Today, generations from virtually every culture swear by the benefits of chicken soup.
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In the various countries, the dish is typically made with noodles, but different cultures prepare the soothing remedy their own way.
According to research by Colby Teeman, who is an assistant professor of dietetics and nutrition at the University of Dayton, he explains the science behind comfort food.
“As a registered dietitian and professor of dietetics and nutrition, I’m well aware of the appeal of chicken soup: the warmth of the broth and the rich, savoury flavours of the chicken, vegetables, and noodles. What gives the soup that distinctive taste is “umami”—the fifth category of taste sensations, along with sweet, salty, sour, and bitter,” he explains.
According to Eat Well, Live Well, Umami, which is also known as monosodium glutamate, is one of the five basic tastes, including sweet, sour, salty, and bitter.
Improved appetite, better digestion
In his contribution to The Conversation, Teeman explains how building blocks of proteins, and the amino acid glutamate, are found in foods with the umami taste.
“All that makes sense, because amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and the amino acid glutamate is found in foods with the umami taste. Not all umami foods are meat or poultry, however; cheese, mushrooms, miso, and soy sauce have it too,” Teeman explains.
Studies show that taste, it turns out, is critical to the healing properties of chicken soup.
“When I see patients with upper respiratory illnesses, I notice many of them are suddenly eating less or not eating at all. This is because acute illnesses ignite an inflammatory response that can decrease your appetite,” he added.
On his part, not feeling like eating means you are unlikely to get the nutrition you need, which is hardly an optimal recipe for immune health and recovery from illness.
He further suggests that the umami taste in chicken soup may help spur a bigger appetite. Noting how participants in one study said they felt hungrier after their first taste of a soup with umami flavour added in by researchers.
Other studies say umami may also improve nutrient digestion. Once our brains sense umami through the taste receptors on our tongues, our bodies prime our digestive tracts to absorb protein more easily.
This can reduce gastrointestinal symptoms, which many people experience when they’re under the weather. Although most people don’t associate upper respiratory infections with gastrointestinal symptoms, research in children has found that the flu virus increased abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea symptoms.
