Grandma may have been right about the benefits of chicken soup.

A study by the National University of Singapore found that chicken extract, a concentrated form of chicken soup, can help keep the heart healthy.

Researchers fed rats bred to develop high-blood pressure with a commercially bottled chicken extract. The rats had a 40% to 50% reduction in heart swelling and a 60% decrease in the thickening of blood vessels over a year compared with the control group.

The amount of chicken extract fed to the rats was equivalent to an adult man drinking 140 milliliters per day -- about the volume of a standard coffee cup.

Researchers believes a specific peptide, a type of short protein, that is found in human blood and produced by most tissues, is the key to how chicken extracts keep the heart and blood vessels healthy.

It is a naturally occurring peptide. By itself, it is already moderating the health of blood vessels. While peptides are present in most meat proteins, only those found in chicken worked.

Interestingly pork extract showed virtually no positive effects on the heart and blood vessels.

Chicken extract also worked over short periods.

Rats with their hearts strained by surgically constricted blood vessels experienced a 40% drop in heart swelling within days with a dose equivalent to 70 milliliters of chicken extract per day for an adult man.

The findings will be officially announced in an upcoming issue of the British Journal of Nutrition.

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Homemade chicken soup has many powerful benefits. It clearly is helpful for colds as the large amount of the amino acid cysteine will thin mucous and help one breathe better during a cold. However, this as yet unpublished study finds that there are indeed other benefits from consuming chicken soup. I absolutely do not advise using canned soup. However if one does use them, people with high blood pressure should check the sodium content of any chicken soup or extract they consume. Some brands can contain high levels of sodium, which is best avoided for many. The study found that pork extract provided no benefit, which further reinforces my opinion that it should be avoided. Related Articles: How To Treat Your Colds