"immunity" news and stories

Remember those Rice Krispies cereal boxes from 2009 that claimed the "Snap, Crackle, Pop" breakfast would "support your child's immunity?" This was right around the time parents were vaccine-crazy over the bird flu? As you might have guessed, that claim wasn't true. Neither was the company's claim that their Frosted Mini Wheats were "clinically shown to improve children's attentiveness by nearly 20%." And for that, Kellogg's is paying.

Last week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) -- which regulates U.S. advertising -- announced a class-action settlement brought to the century-old, $13 billion company in the U.S. District Court of California, thanks to the laws of advertising that ban misleading and inaccurate marketing claims (or what we like to call the "That just ain't right!" ruling).

We wrote earlier about some new studies showing that multi-vitamin supplements don't do much to prevent disease, but that vitamin-filled foods clearly do. Well check out MSN's list of nine immunity-boosting foods to help prevent colds and other illnesses this winter. None of it's exactly shocking news, but it's always good to have a reminder, especially when you're sitting on the couch watching Lost and eating shortbread like...some of us. Here's the rundown:

1) Water, eight to 10 glasses a day
2) Probiotic-containing yogurt
3) Vitamin A-filled sweet potatoes
4) Tea
5) Chicken soup
6) Zinc-heavy beef
7) Mushrooms
8) Fish and shellfish
9) Garlic
10) Oats and barley

What are you favorite immune-boosting foods?

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Remember when everyone went crazy over soy? Products from breakfast cereal to cookies touted their "soy isoflavone" content, credited with protecting against heart disease. Now a number of studies show that soy consumption has no affect on cardiovascular health and people are fretting that it may even increase the risk of some cancers.

The jury is still waaay out on just how specific foods affect the body.

So I rolled my eyes a bit reading this article in the New York Times about California restaurants claiming to serve immunity boosting foods.

Crustacean, a Vietnamese restaurant in Beverly Hills, puts a special icon next to menu items it claims boost immunity. Its Buddha roll, made with shiitake mushrooms which contains iron and Vitamin C, gets an icon, as does its lemongrass soup (lemongrass has folate, zinc and iron).

Sounds like a good way to sell more Buddha rolls. And to make a dinner out a little more like a trip to the doctor's office. I'll stick to my reasonably balanced diet (with the occasional unreasonable quantity of ice cream or pork barbecue) and pop a vitamin pill now and then for good measure.

What do you think? Any foods you believe boost your immune system?

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