Substance Found In Fruits And Vegetables Reduces Likelihood Of The Flu

News Article Sep. 3, 2008

Mice given quercetin, a naturally occurring substance found in fruits and vegetables, were less likely to contract the flu, according to a study published by The American Physiological Society. The study also found that stressful exercise increased the susceptibility of mice to the flu, but quercetin canceled out that negative effect.

Quercetin, a close chemical relative of resveratrol, is present in a variety of fruits and vegetables, including red onions, grapes, blueberries, tea, broccoli and red wine. It has been shown to have anti-viral properties in cell culture experiments and some animal studies, but none of these studies has looked specifically at the flu.

The researchers found that:

* Stressful exercise increased susceptibility to the flu. The mice that exercised to fatigue for three days were more likely to develop the flu than the mice that did not exercise (91% versus 63%).
* The mice that exercised developed the flu much sooner than those that did not (6.9 days versus 12.4 days).
* Mice that exercised and took quercetin had nearly the same rate of illness as those that did not exercise. In other words, quercetin canceled out the negative effect of stressful exercise.
* The severity of the symptoms among those mice that either did not exercise or those that exercised but took the quercetin was about the same.
* Quercetin had protective effects for the mice that did not exercise.


SOURCE: ScienceDaily