Eating onions can keep heart disease at bay

A new study shows that onions can make the heart grow stronger and help lessen the risk of heart disease.

The study, conducted by Britain’s Institute of Food Research and published in the journal Atherosclerosis, focused on a compound found in onions rich in flavonoids called quercetin, and concluded that the ingredient can help prevent the chronic inflammation leading to cardiovascular disease.

Onions are especially rich in their concentration of the natural flavonoid quercetin, which can also be found in apples, tea and red wine.
The British team discovered that a lower dose of quercetin was more effective than a higher dose on their research models.

“We tested compounds that are actually found in the blood, rather than the flavonoid in food before it is eaten, as only these compounds will actually come into contact with human tissues and have an effect on arterial health,” said Dr. Paul Kroon, the lead researcher and study’s author.

“We can confirm that eating quercetin-rich foods may help prevent chronic inflammation leading to cardiovascular disease.”

Bridget Aisbitt, a nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation, told the BBC: “Inflammation is an important process in the furring up of arteries that can lead to heart disease and stroke, and this study gives us clues as to why a diet rich in fruit and vegetables appears to reduce the risk of these conditions.”

General recommendations for maintaining overall good health state that we should consume five portions of fruits and vegetables each day, and this latest research may move the lowly onion up in the queue of importance and value.