You can often read the onion being called “the king of vegetables”. This flavorful vegetable is used in probably every cuisine worldwide. It also has many unique healing and antiseptic properties and onions health benefits are well known. The onion is rich in vitamins A, B and C, calcium, magnesium and iron.
If you eat the onion raw, you will be stimulating your liver function, and if you eat it cooked, it can help relieve constipation and flatulence. Even its skin has medicinal properties – boiled onion skins tea can help eliminate unpleasant diarrhea.
The high percentage of sulfur content in onions gives it its characteristic scent. But the substance is also known for many positive effects on health.
The most important onions health benefits are as following:
Preventing Heart Disease
The high level of flavonoids in onion has been found to play a key role in preventing risks of heart disease. Certain compounds found in this bulb prevent unwanted platelet deposition and blood vessel occlusion. These substances also help in fighting the excess production of bad fat including triglycerides and LDL cholesterol that can collect on the walls of blood vessels.
Improving Bone Density
Decades of research has proven that substances in onion play a key role in enhancing bone density. Women are more likely to lose bone density due to menopause and osteoporosis. Researchers have found that making onions part of daily diet can help menopausal women reduce the chances of hip fracture.
Fights Cancer
The antioxidants present in onion help in reducing the chances of developing various kinds of cancer. The compounds in onion help in pacifying free radicals that could cause cancer of the throat, ovary, or colon. It has been considered to be helpful in preventing cancer even in the case of moderate drinkers.
Anti-inflammation
The antioxidants present in onion have also been found to have powerful anti-inflammation properties. This is achieved by preventing fatty acids from oxidizing. The more these compounds are oxidized, the higher are the chances of swelling in the body.
Anti-infection & Blood Sugar Regulation Properties
One of the most important onions health benefits is that it helps in fighting infections. It has also been found to be useful in the regulation of blood sugar level.
How Should You Take Onion?
It is important to take onion the right way to be able to get the most benefits out of it. Make sure that you consume it immediately after chopping. If it is left in the air after chopping, its anti-infection properties will be lost after 2 hours. Similarly, if you boil it or heat it for over 10 minutes, it will again lose its anti-bacterial benefits.
Via: Medical Daily
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