Quercetin, found in produce, fights flu

COLUMBIA, S.C., Sept. 4 (UPI) -- Quercetin, found in produce such as onions, grapes, blueberries, broccoli as well as red wine and tea reduced the risk of flu in mice, U.S. researchers say.

Study author J. Mark Davis of the University of South Carolina in Columbia, says that if quercetin -- a close chemical relative of resveratrol, which is found in red wine and grape juice -- provides similar benefits to humans as in mice the findings suggests it could help endurance athletes, soldiers and others undergoing difficult training regimens, as well as people under psychological stress.

Researchers at the University of South Carolina and Clemson University in South Carolina compared four groups of mice.

Two groups performed three consecutive days of running on a treadmill to mimic stressful exercise. One group of runners received quercetin, the other did not. The remaining two groups did not exercise. One non-exercise group received quercetin while the other did not. All groups were exposed to a common flu virus.

The researchers found that stressful exercise increased susceptibility to the flu, but quercetin canceled out the negative effect of stressful exercise.

The study, published in the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology