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Sauerkraut could fight bird flu, say scientists
news.telegraph ^ | 11/13/2005 | Jasper Copping

Posted on 11/14/2005 9:34:46 AM PST by Red Badger

Sauerkraut, the dish adored in Germany but much maligned in Britain, could prove to be a secret weapon against the threat of bird flu, experts revealed yesterday.

Scientists believe that the traditional recipe, which is made from chopped cabbage that is fermented for at least a month, contains a bacteria that may combat the potentially fatal disease.

Their findings follow a study in which kimchi - a spicy cabbage dish popular in South Korea and similar to sauerkraut - was fed to 13 chickens infected with bird flu. Just one week later, 11 of the birds showed signs of recovery from the virus.

"The feed has been shown to help improve the fight against bird flu or other types of flu viruses," said Prof Kang Sa-ouk, who led the research at Seoul National University, yesterday.

Prof Kang's team claims that lactobacillus, the lactic acid bacteria created during the fermenting process, is the active ingredient that could combat bird flu.

Health experts have already agreed that there may be some truth to kimchi's curative properties, prompting an increase in the consumption of the dish in South Korea.

Sales of sauerkraut in the United States have also soared as a result of the research, and now Britain is starting to catch on. Last night, importers of the dish to Britain said that sales were rising and they were increasing stocks in the expectation that demand could escalate.

Geoff Hale, the commercial manager for Euro Food Brands, said: "Sales are very buoyant at the moment. We bring in about half-a-million jars of sauerkraut to Britain from Germany every year and that number is definitely going up."

Sales of sauerkraut were up 20 per cent on this time last year at Sainsbury's, according to a spokesman for the supermarket.

Whether or not sauerkraut does cure bird flu, the dish is said to have a number of other health benefits, among them cancer-fighting and detoxifying properties.

It is also a rich source of vitamins.

One serving, which contains only 32 calories and has four grams of fibre, provides 102 per cent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin K, 12 per cent of iron and 35 per cent of vitamin C.

Prof Richard Mithen, from the Institute of Food Research, in Norwich, said: "Eating kimchi or sauerkraut may be good for your health and help fight off infections.

"I wouldn't recommend anyone rushing out to stock up on sauerkraut specifically to fight off bird flu, but it may help your immune system."

A further study on sauerkraut, carried out recently by Polish and American scientists, concluded that the meal might be the reason for the lower breast cancer rate observed among Polish immigrants in America.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Germany; Miscellaneous; Unclassified; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: avianflu; birdflew; birdflu; birdflue; influenza; sauerkrau; sauerkraut; virus
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1 posted on 11/14/2005 9:34:48 AM PST by Red Badger
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To: Red Badger

Perfect, I love a good kraut dog. I'll be immune while I eat my infected chicken.


2 posted on 11/14/2005 9:36:09 AM PST by bpjam (Now accepting liberal apologies.....)
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To: Red Badger

If true, then kimchee will be very, very popular..


3 posted on 11/14/2005 9:36:12 AM PST by ken5050 (Ann Coulter needs to have children ASAP to pass on her gene pool....any volunteers?)
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To: Red Badger

I love sauerkraut. I'm glad to find that it's healty, but does it counter-act the sausage it's usually covering?


4 posted on 11/14/2005 9:36:30 AM PST by Sterm26 (Indict....no, HANG Joe Wilson!)
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To: Red Badger

I'm doomed! Doomed, I say!


5 posted on 11/14/2005 9:36:33 AM PST by TexasCajun
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To: Red Badger

Think I'll have a reuben for lunch


6 posted on 11/14/2005 9:37:05 AM PST by Spruce (Keep your mitts off my wallet)
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To: Red Badger

But German sauerkraut is much different than the stuff we see here in the US. The german stuff is actually sweet. Personally, I like the US version which is tangy and don't smell like socialism.


7 posted on 11/14/2005 9:37:07 AM PST by bpjam (Now accepting liberal apologies.....)
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To: Sterm26
I love sauerkraut. I'm glad to find that it's healty, but does it counter-act the sausage it's usually covering?

Good god man, you're one kinky SOB.

8 posted on 11/14/2005 9:37:23 AM PST by zarf (It looks just like a Telefunken U-47!)
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To: Red Badger

And thus the god, Irony, said, "The Germans and Koreans shall inherit the Earth."


9 posted on 11/14/2005 9:37:40 AM PST by Centurion2000 ((Aubrey, Tx) --- America, we get the best government corporations can buy.)
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To: Red Badger

Good news!

I'm safe.


10 posted on 11/14/2005 9:37:54 AM PST by najida (OK, so I have a new obsession. Ain't life grand :))
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To: Red Badger

I'm a walking dead man.


11 posted on 11/14/2005 9:38:37 AM PST by Constitution Day (When life hands you lemons... Just shut and eat your damn lemons.)
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To: najida
I'm safe.

And I can become safe!

12 posted on 11/14/2005 9:38:58 AM PST by marvlus
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To: Spruce
Think I'll have a reuben for lunch

Sounds great!

I'm safe, love that sauerkraut.

Umm, Umm good.

13 posted on 11/14/2005 9:39:50 AM PST by A message
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To: bpjam
Finally - a tasty side-dish for those geese I found dead in my backyard!
14 posted on 11/14/2005 9:39:57 AM PST by dagnabbit (Vincente Fox's opening line at the Mexico-USA summit meeting: "Bring out the Gimp!")
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To: bpjam

Hot dog relish ought to do the same trick as sauerkraut.


15 posted on 11/14/2005 9:40:39 AM PST by pepsionice
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To: Red Badger

I hate sauerkraut so I guess I'm a goner. Ah well, quality over quantity.


16 posted on 11/14/2005 9:41:30 AM PST by Shaun_MD (Here I abandon peace and desecrate law. Farewell to treaties. Fortune it is you I follow)
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To: Red Badger

LOL, I LOVE sauerkraut! But then I'm half German, half Bohemian. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter just aren't right without it.


17 posted on 11/14/2005 9:41:35 AM PST by BlessedBeGod (Benedict XVI = Terminator IV)
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To: Red Badger

Article written by author who has stock in Frank's Sauerkraut?


18 posted on 11/14/2005 9:41:37 AM PST by Fester Chugabrew
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To: Red Badger
I just want to know who force-fed a bunch of birds this stuff and figured out it protects against this particular strain of flu. Maybe the "Krauts" developed this strain so they could inherit the earth once and for all....
19 posted on 11/14/2005 9:43:30 AM PST by Abathar (Proudly catching hell for posting without reading since 2004)
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To: Shaun_MD

You probably hate AMERICAN version of sauerkraut. German version is totally different..........


20 posted on 11/14/2005 9:44:18 AM PST by Red Badger (United States Marine Corps, Saving France's Bacon Since 1775.............)
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