{"id":9527,"date":"2014-07-22T20:00:37","date_gmt":"2014-07-23T03:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/?p=9527"},"modified":"2014-07-22T22:44:36","modified_gmt":"2014-07-23T05:44:36","slug":"do-vegans-get-fewer-colds-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/do-vegans-get-fewer-colds-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Vegans Get Fewer Colds?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

\"fruits<\/a>If you\u2019re vegan, do you think you get fewer colds than the average person? Speaking for myself, I have to answer with a resounding \u201cyes.\u201d I\u2019ve been vegan for the last 15 years. In that time, I have never had the flu. I get a cold about every 3 to 5 years, and the duration and severity of the cold are far less than when I wasn\u2019t vegan. The colds I have gotten since being vegan are more of an annoyance than anything\u2026just enough to make me feel a little under the weather. The same holds true for my husband, who has been vegan for the same amount of time.<\/p>\n

There has not been a lot of research on whether or not vegans get less sick than the rest of the population. However, it wouldn\u2019t surprise me if this was true. The majority of vegans consume many more fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes and soy than non-vegans, and without the addition of meat, dairy or eggs. All of these plant foods contain antioxidants, which help support the immune system.<\/p>\n

\"tofu<\/a>Could the phytochemicals in soy products like tofu and tempeh play a part? A 2009 study<\/a> published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, studied soy isoflavones and virus infections. In part, the study stated \u201cIsoflavones and their related flavonoid compounds exert antiviral properties in vitro and in vivo against a wide range of viruses.
\nGenistein is, by far, the most studied soy isoflavone in this regard, and it has been shown to inhibit the infectivity of enveloped or nonenveloped viruses, as well as single-stranded or double-stranded RNA or DNA viruses. At concentrations ranging from physiological to supraphysiological (3.7-370 muM), flavonoids, including genistein, have been shown to reduce the infectivity of a variety of viruses affecting humans and animals, including adenovirus, herpes simplex virus, human immunodeficiency virus, porcine roductive and respiratory syndrome virus, and rotavirus.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Also, could the absence of what vegans DON\u2019T eat play a part in this phenomenon? As far back as 1967, an older study<\/a>\u00a0 published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, studied cow’s milk allergies. In part, the findings stated,\u00a0\u201cMilk and other food sensitivities are a common cause of recurrent gastrointestinal and respiratory disorders in infants and children.\u201d \u00a0<\/em>(Since this study, there have been numerous studies, papers and experts speaking out about the correlation between cow’s milk consumption and allergies, asthma and rhinitis.)<\/p>\n

I\u2019m anxious to find out if this phenomenon (of vegans getting fewer colds) will ever be studied at greater length. But in the meantime, those of us that eat a plant-only\u00a0diet already know the answer\u2026with or without the studies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re vegan, do you think you get fewer colds than the average person? Speaking for myself, I have to answer with a resounding \u201cyes.\u201d I\u2019ve been vegan for the last 15 years. In that time, I have never had the flu. I get a cold about every 3 to 5 years, and the duration and severity of the cold are far less than when I wasn\u2019t vegan. The colds I have gotten since being vegan are more of an annoyance than anything\u2026just enough to make me feel a little under the weather. The same holds true for my husband, who has been vegan for the same amount of time. There has not been a lot of research on whether or not vegans get less sick than the rest of the population. However, it wouldn\u2019t surprise me if this was true. The majority of vegans consume many more fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes and soy than non-vegans, and without the addition of meat, dairy or eggs. All of these plant foods contain antioxidants, which help support the immune system. Could the phytochemicals in soy products like tofu and tempeh play a part? A 2009 study published in the U.S. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75861,"featured_media":9529,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,23,3],"tags":[1684,2333,1686,1685,16],"class_list":["post-9527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-nutrition","category-vegan","tag-colds","tag-health","tag-sick","tag-study","tag-veganism"],"yoast_head":"\nDo Vegans Get Fewer Colds? - HappyCow<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/do-vegans-get-fewer-colds-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Do Vegans Get Fewer Colds? - HappyCow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you\u2019re vegan, do you think you get fewer colds than the average person? Speaking for myself, I have to answer with a resounding \u201cyes.\u201d I\u2019ve been vegan for the last 15 years. In that time, I have never had the flu. I get a cold about every 3 to 5 years, and the duration and severity of the cold are far less than when I wasn\u2019t vegan. The colds I have gotten since being vegan are more of an annoyance than anything\u2026just enough to make me feel a little under the weather. The same holds true for my husband, who has been vegan for the same amount of time. There has not been a lot of research on whether or not vegans get less sick than the rest of the population. However, it wouldn\u2019t surprise me if this was true. The majority of vegans consume many more fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes and soy than non-vegans, and without the addition of meat, dairy or eggs. All of these plant foods contain antioxidants, which help support the immune system. Could the phytochemicals in soy products like tofu and tempeh play a part? 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