Bird’s Nest Soup Nutrition Facts: A Variety of Health Benefits

For hundreds of years, Chinese culture has hailed the nutritional benefits of bird’s nest soup.

Virility, better skin, stronger pregnancies and healthier babies – all have been claimed as benefits of consuming soups featuring edible bird’s nests.

However, as the soup has become a global phenomenon, those old notions of health benefits have come under scrutiny: Is bird’s nest soup as healthy as they say it is?

Turns out the Chinese were right – edible swallow’s nests are not only a delicious delicacy, but they’re also a nutritious meal that can benefit multiple age groups.

Your Immune System Gets Stronger

Whenever cancer patients undergo chemotherapy, both good and bad cells are killed. Some of those good cells are called “B cells”, which are white blood cells that produce antibodies that protect you from sickness.

Because these B cells take a hit during chemo, patients become more susceptible to all kinds of sicknesses.

A group of Chinese researchers was curious as to the ability of edible bird’s nests to boost the immune system, so they conducted a study in which they subjected mice to radiation and then gave them bird’s nest  soup to recover.

The results confirmed what they thought – edible bird’s nests have a certain type of protein in them that accelerates the creation of B cells, which boosts your immune system.

Contains Six Important Hormones

The saliva found in bird’s nest soup contains a series of hormones, two of which are very familiar to humans: testosterone and estradiol.

Testosterone

Testosterone is a hormone men produced in considerable quantities. Women also produce it, but at far lower levels.

Research has found that testosterone increases libido, promotes muscle growth, contributes to fat loss and, according to AskMen.com, improves “cognitive function and mood” and fights off depression.

Estradiol

Edible bird’s nests also contain estradiol, which is a type of estrogen.

As a drug on its own, estradiol, according to Drugs.com, is “used to treat symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes … burning and irritation.”

Estradiol is also used to prevent osteoporosis and has been implemented into treatment plans for cancer patients.

The levels of estradiol found in bird’s nests are much lower – certainly not at the same potency or concentration as what you’d find in prescription drugs.

For this reason, bird’s nests are safe for pregnant women and men to consume.

Can Promote Eye Health

Injuries to the cornea, the protective layer on the surface of the eye, can be very painful because the healing process is slow.

Corneal keratocytes are responsible for that healing – they keep the cornea strong and prevent it from getting cloudy via injury or other ailments.

In 2011, researchers from the Department of Anatomy at the National University of Malaysia wanted to know if certain bird hormones in edible bird’s nests could help the body create more corneal keratocytes.

So, they condensed bird’s nests into serum and injected rabbits with it. The results were positive – doctors noticed that the rabbits who received the concentrated bird’s nests produce more corneal keratocytes than those who didn’t.

While this area needs more research, the preliminary study confirms what centuries of Chinese families have already known – edible bird’s nests can improve vision.

Only the Best Bird’s Nests Will Do

While edible bird’s nests have many health benefits, they can also be harmful if they aren’t processed correctly. A great example of this is blood bird’s nests.

Some of these nests get their brilliant color from chemical reactions that take place between air, moisture and bird waste.

Some bird’s nest soup companies will purposely leave bird waste in their nests to maintain red coloring, a practice that jeopardizes your health instead of helping it.

At Company, we condemn these health-hazardous practices and protect the well-being of our customers by ensuring high-quality, health-focused processing steps that emphasize cleanliness and precision.

Our red bird’s nests are sourced in the most responsible way possible, not only to protect your health but to promote safe harvesting practices that protect the well-being of Southeast Asia swallow population.

Our products are known for their excellent taste, beautiful colors and time-honored health benefits.  Head to our online store to learn more about our edible bird’s nests.