Chicken soup and skin elasticity in one human study
What it found
In one study of people, eating chicken soup improved skin stretchiness and reduced dark spots on the face.
The authors say more research is needed to confirm these effects.
What they found
Studies in people
Skin stretchiness and colour
One clinical study found that people who ate chicken soup had better skin stretchiness. It also found less dark colouring on their faces.
Other findings
Collagen and hyaluronic acid
Some people believe chicken soup helps skin because it is rich in collagen and hyaluronic acid. This idea comes from everyday claims rather than tested evidence in this text.
What the authors conclude
- They say more research is needed to confirm whether chicken soup really improves skin.
- The authors advise further studies to better define what role eating chicken soup might play in keeping skin looking young.
How it was done
People have long used chicken soup in folk medicine for breathing infections and even leprosy. Some claim it helps skin because it contains collagen and hyaluronic acid.
The authors looked at one clinical study where people ate chicken soup. They measured changes in skin stretchiness and facial colouring. The abstract does not say how many people took part or for how long.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This summary relies on a single clinical study mentioned briefly. One small trial cannot prove that chicken soup will improve skin for everyone.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
The paper
- Title
- Chicken soup for the skin!
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Hoenig LJ (2022). Chicken soup for the skin!. Clinics in dermatology. doi:10.1016/j.clindermatol.2022.09.002PubMed 36122880DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error