You probably already expect garlic, chicken soup, or vitamin C-rich orange juice to help with cold and flu prevention and treatment. But now there’s a new food on the block that is kicking the butt of colds, flu, and other respiratory infections—yogurt. Exciting research shows that yogurt isn’t just for digestive health anymore.
Research published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that yogurt containing the probiotic strain Lactobacillus casei DN-114001 had a significant effect on respiratory infections in three ways:
1) Decreasing the likelihood of contracting a respiratory infection;
2) Reducing the duration of respiratory infections; and
3) Reducing nasal congestion linked to respiratory infections.
The participants ate approximately three-quarters of a cup of the yogurt containing the L. casei strain on a daily basis for three months. The study explored the effects on the elderly with an average age of 76 but the results should apply to younger adults as well.
How to Choose Yogurt that will Help Prevent and Fight Colds, Flu, and Respiratory Infections:
-While it may help reduce nasal congestion and the duration of a cold or flu if started during the infection it is better to enjoy the yogurt on a daily basis to reduce the likelihood of getting a respiratory infection.
-Choose a yogurt that contains the effective strain. Most commercially-available yogurt does NOT contain the effective strain of probiotic.
-Avoid yogurt with a high amount of sugar. A serving shouldn’t contain more than 10 to 12 grams of sugar yet most yogurt on the market contains substantially more sugar than that.
-Choose a product that contains “live cultures” since the live probiotic cultures are the therapeutic part of the yogurt.
-Avoid yogurt that contains fruit since it is usually fruit jam loaded with sugar.
-Keep in mind that some yogurt companies indicate that they are the exclusive company with a specific strain of probiotic, suggesting that it has been trademarked. Living creatures, including bacterial strains like probiotics, cannot be patented.