Quercetin Helps Fight Flu

A new study in mice indicates that quercetin, naturally found in plenty of fruits and veggies, helps resist flu, particularly among those who are physically fatigued and thus more susceptible to succumbing to sickness.

Although this study was done with mice, a recent human study found that people who took quercetin suffered fewer illnesses following three days of exhaustive exercise compared to those who did not. Unlike the mouse study, the humans were not inoculated with a virus.

“This is the first controlled experimental study to show a benefit of short-term quercetin feedings on susceptibility to respiratory infection following exercise stress,” said Davis. “Quercetin feeding was an effective preventive strategy to offset the increase in susceptibility to infection that was associated with stressful exercise.”

The authors add if further studies confirm these results, quercetin may be very useful for endurance athletes, soldiers and others undergoing difficult training regimens, as well as people under psychological stress. For normal people like you and me, perhaps plenty of fruits and veggies would also do the trick.