It turns out grandmas favorite dish may have health benefits that go beyond curing the common cold and include lowering blood pressure and preventing strokes.
To show this, Japanese scientists first looked at earlier studies which indicate chicken breast contains collagen proteins with effects similar to ACE inhibitors, medications for treating high blood pressure.
However, breast meat the main ingredient of chicken soup in the West contains only very small amounts of the proteins.
Rather, the researchers used the normally discarded chicken legs and feet, and found in their collagen mixture four different proteins that exhibit high ACE-inhibitory activity.
During animal tests, the scientists noted the proteins produced a significant and prolonged decrease in blood pressure.
The results were published in a recent issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
For those who want to avoid using pressure-controlling medications, regular exercise, a low-sodium diet and nutritional supplements are all good options. 