Summary
Onions contain a great deal of the flavonoid quercetin, which has been associated with reduced risk for many chronic diseases and health problems including cataracts, cardiovascular disease, breast, colon, ovarian, gastric, lung and bladder cancers, and onions also contain naturally-occurring chemicals that are linked to reducing cholesterol levels and blood pressure.
Original source:
http://www.yobserver.com/news_7422.php
Details
-- Anonymous Onions are low in calories yet add abundant flavour to a wide variety of foods.
With only 30 calories per serving, onions are sodium, fat, and cholesterol free, and provide dietary fibre, vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium, and other key nutrients.
Higher intakes of fruits and vegetables have been associated with a variety of health benefits.
Other sources are tea and apples, but research shows that absorption of quercetin fromonions is twice that from tea and more than three times that from apples.
Studies have shown that quercetin protects against cataracts, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
In addition, onions contain a variety of other naturally occurring chemicals known as organosulfur compounds that have been linked to lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Onions not only provide flavour; they also provide health-promoting phytochemicals as well as nutrients.
Studies have indicated that quercetin helps to eliminate free radicals in the body, to inhibit low-density lipoprotein oxidation (an important reaction in the atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease), to protect and regenerate vitamin E (a powerful antioxidant) and to inactivate the harmful effects of chelate metal ions.
Further research at the Agricultural University on Wageningen showed that daily consumption of onions may result in increased accumulation of quercetin in the blood.
Platelet aggregation is associated with atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, heart attack and stroke.
Onions may be among the vegetables that will be prized not only for their addition our cuisine, but for their value-added
health characteristics," said Irwin Goldman, Associate Professor of Horticulture of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
These compounds have a variety of health-functional properties, including anticancer and antimicrobial activities.
Onions range in size from less than 1 inch in diameter (creamers/boilers) to more than 4 ½ inches in diameter (super colossal).
About the author: Mike Adams is a natural health author and award-winning journalist with a strong interest in personal health, the environment and the power of nature to help us all heal He is a prolific writer and has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, and he has created several downloadable courses on survival and preparedness, including his widely-downloaded course on personal safety and self-defense. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In 2010, Adams launched TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural health video site featuring videos on holistic health and green living. He also founded an environmentally-friendly online retailer called BetterLifeGoods.com that uses retail profits to help support consumer advocacy programs. He's also a successful software entrepreneur, having founded a well known email marketing software company whose technology currently powers the NaturalNews email newsletters. Adams also serves as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a non-profit consumer protection group, and pursues hobbies such as martial arts, Capoeira, nature macrophotography and organic gardening. He's also author a large number of health books offered by Truth Publishing and is the creator of numerous reference website including NaturalPedia.com and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. His websites also include the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the innate healing ability of the human body.
Have comments on this article? Post them here:
people have commented on this article.
Monday, July 25, 2005
Email this article to a friend
Share
this article on: 
