Japanese scientists discovered a strain of bacteria found in "suguki", a turnip, being lauded as a type of “superfood.” It could actually stop the flu. The findings were published in Letters in Applied Microbiology.

The study found that when fed to mice, the Lactobacillus brevis bacteria in suguki prevented the mice from contracting influenza. The bacteria hasn't been tested on humans yet, but researchers are working on a probiotic drink made from suguki, which may yield similar results.

The bacteria puts the immune system into overdrive and helps to boost the production of flu-specific antibodies. According to researchers, they hope to use suguki to protect against the newest, deadly flu strains emerging out of China.

Image: Flickr, teaoka