Remedy · animal food
Chicken soup for colds: what the research actually tested
The most famous food remedy of all. The studies behind it are small lab experiments, but a hot, salty, savory broth does bring short-term relief and fluids.
By the editors of Alimentotherapy Last reviewed 3 min read Not medical advice
Chicken soup
Best-supported use: Short-term relief of a stuffy nose
The short answer
Chicken soup has never been tested in a clinical trial of people with colds. The two studies usually quoted are a 1978 experiment in 15 healthy volunteers, where hot soup briefly sped up nasal mucus flow, and a 2000 lab study in which soup slowed the movement of white blood cells in a dish Saketkhoo 1978; Rennard 2000. Hot drinks do make people with colds feel better for a while, which is reason enough to have a bowlSanu 2008.
The evidence, use by use
Each claim graded on human studies only. How we grade
| Use | Grade | What the research found |
|---|---|---|
| Short-term relief of a blocked or runny nose | Limited | In 15 healthy volunteers, sipping hot chicken soup raised nasal mucus velocity at five minutes more than hot or cold water; the effect was gone at 30 minutes. Airflow did not change. Saketkhoo 1978 |
| Feeling better with a cold or flu (hot drinks in general) | Limited | In 30 people with a cold or flu, a hot fruit drink gave immediate and sustained relief of runny nose, cough, sneezing, sore throat, chilliness and tiredness, more than the same drink at room temperature. Placebo may explain part of it. Sanu 2008 |
| Calming the inflammatory response to a cold | Not supported | Chicken soup reduced neutrophil migration in a laboratory chamber. Nobody has shown this happens in a person who eats the soup. Rennard 2000 |
What the famous studies did
1978. Researchers measured how fast mucus moved in the noses of 15 healthy people before and after drinking hot water, cold water and hot chicken soup. Hot liquids sped mucus up for a few minutes, and hot soup sipped from a cup did slightly better than hot water. By 30 minutes everything was back to baseline. The authors suggested the aroma or taste of the soup added something beyond the steamSaketkhoo 1978.
2000, Nebraska. A traditional chicken soup was tested on neutrophils, the white blood cells that crowd into the airways during a cold. In a lab chamber, the soup slowed their movement in a concentration-dependent way, and each vegetable and the chicken had some effect on their own. Commercial soups varied a great deal Rennard 2000. The authors were careful: a mild anti-inflammatory effect "could be one mechanism", not a demonstrated one.
Neither study involved anyone with a cold eating soup and being followed up. That is why the grade here is limited for comfort and not supported for anything beyond it.
Why a bowl of soup still helps
Most of what makes soup welcome during a cold is simple: warm fluid, salt, steam you breathe in, and food that is easy to eat when your appetite is low. In a Cardiff trial of people with colds, a hot drink brought quick relief across most symptoms, while the same drink at room temperature helped fewer of themSanu 2008. The researchers put this down partly to placebo and partly to the effect of a hot, tasty drink on saliva and airway secretions.
In the kitchen
Any hot, savory broth works the same way. Sip it slowly from a cup so you breathe the steam, which is what did better than drinking through a straw in the 1978 study.
When soup is not enough
Most colds clear up on their own. See a clinician for a high fever, trouble breathing, chest pain, symptoms lasting more than ten days or getting better and then worse, or any illness in a young baby. For more on what the evidence says about other cold remedies, see colds.
Before you try it: safety and interactions
Who should avoid it or ask first
- You are on a low-sodium diet for heart or kidney reasons: make it at home with little salt, or choose a low-sodium version.
Possible side effects
- Sodium: canned and restaurant soups can be very salty.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
An ordinary food in pregnancy. Make sure it is piping hot and the chicken fully cooked.
Medicine interactions
We found no well-documented medicine interactions for chicken soup at food amounts. That is not proof there are none: tell your pharmacist about any herb or supplement you take.
Check another food or medicine in the interactions list.
Common questions
Does chicken soup really help a cold?
It can make you feel better for a while, but it has not been shown to shorten a cold. The best-known studies were a 1978 test in 15 healthy volunteers and a 2000 laboratory experiment, not trials in people with colds.
Is chicken soup better than other hot drinks for a cold?
Possibly slightly. In the 1978 study, hot chicken soup sped up nasal mucus a little more than hot water did, though the effect lasted under 30 minutes. In practice, any hot savory drink sipped slowly gives similar comfort.
Sources
Primary research and government sources, each checked on the date this page was reviewed.
- PubMedSaketkhoo K, Januszkiewicz A, Sackner MA. Effects of drinking hot water, cold water, and chicken soup on nasal mucus velocity and nasal airflow resistance. Chest. 1978. PMID 359266.
- PubMedRennard BO, et al. Chicken soup inhibits neutrophil chemotaxis in vitro. Chest. 2000. PMID 11035691.
- PubMedSanu A, Eccles R. The effects of a hot drink on nasal airflow and symptoms of common cold and flu. Rhinology. 2008. PMID 19145994.
Keep reading
- GoalFood and colds: honey, zinc, vitamin C and chicken soupNo food stops a cold. Honey has good evidence for easing cough in children over one, and regular vitamin C slightly shortens colds; most other remedies are comfort.
- RemedyBone brothA warm, savory, traditional food that is easy to drink when you are unwell. The popular claims about gut lining, joints and skin have not been tested in people.
- RemedyHoneyA spoonful of honey has decent trial support for children's coughs at night. It must never be given to a baby under 12 months because of infant botulism.
- RemedyGingerThe best-studied kitchen remedy for nausea. Trials support it for pregnancy and after surgery; the evidence for joint and period pain is thinner.