Beneath is an approximation of this video’s audio content material. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, pictures, and quotes to which Dr. Greger could also be referring, watch the above video.
Onions are probably a superb supply of antioxidants, although, curiously, the antioxidants are concentrated within the outer layers instantly underneath the papery peel. Sadly, most customers discard these most nutrient-rich outermost layers, thus shedding a priceless half. Listed here are some numbers. Have a look at that! Greater than 10 instances extra antioxidants within the outer layer of white onions, in comparison with the core. You’ll additionally notice that yellow onions on the whole have extra antioxidants than white. And purple onions beat them each, based mostly on three completely different antioxidant testing strategies. That’s why I at all times attempt to purchase purple. Although purple onions are certainly barely higher, yellow or white onions are not any slouches, containing appreciable ranges of antioxidant exercise. So, nutritious, positive, however are there any explicit medical advantages to onion consumption? There are grammatically challenged titles like this within the medical literature purporting all kinds of miraculous advantages. However what do they base these claims on?
For instance, right here’s a evaluate purporting to have proof that testosterone in males is enhanced by onion, however the researchers had been speaking about research like this on the results of onion juice after testicular torsion . . . in rats. Who cares what occurs after a rat testicle is rotated 720 levels counterclockwise? (Besides, after all, the rat.) You don’t know what occurs in folks till you place human testes to the check and . . . onion extracts don’t seem to work.
Okay, what about bone well being? Evidently, older white ladies who consumed onions at the least as soon as a day had an total bone density that was 5 % larger than people who consumed onions not more than as soon as a month (P < 0.03). Now 5 % won’t sound like rather a lot, however that enchancment in bone density may probably translate into lowering their threat of hip fracture by greater than 20 % if, certainly, it was trigger and impact.
Each day administration of onion did trigger an enormous bump in bone density. This opens the likelihood for a low-cost, secure, and efficient dietary method to osteoporosis and—you guessed it—within the rat. One other rodent examine. Rats!
However lastly, right here we go. Large strides have been made in treating osteoporosis with medication, however they’ve the potential for severe opposed negative effects, so scientists have drawn their consideration to pure treatments. So, let’s randomize folks to drink onion juice or placebo onion juice. I don’t know what sounds worse: sugary onion juice or faux sugary onion juice. And as if ingesting onion juice wasn’t unhealthy sufficient, it was all for nothing. It didn’t even work.
What in regards to the anti-allergy actions of shallots, and any therapeutic results on serving to allergic runny noses? Sixteen such sufferers had been randomized equally into an antihistamine group, or a bunch that received antihistamines plus some capsules containing dried shallot powder. And it seemed just like the shallot group did higher, however there was truly no statistically important distinction in complete signs between the 2 teams; so, one other #OnionFail. There needs to be one thing onions can do.
What about testing the results of contemporary yellow onion consumption on breast most cancers sufferers to attempt to lower the poisonous results of a chemotherapy drug known as doxorubicin? Sadly, no important profit was discovered on lowering harm to the liver or coronary heart.
However right here we go . . . lastly, a medical profit to onions. The consumption of contemporary yellow onion ameliorates the excessive blood sugars and insulin resistance in breast most cancers sufferers throughout doxorubicin-based chemotherapy. Doxorubicin isn’t simply poisonous to the liver and coronary heart, however it might additionally contribute to insulin resistance. So, let’s do a randomized, triple-blind, managed medical trial randomizing sufferers to love a complete onion a day. or a 3rd of an onion a day. What occurred? The high-onion group skilled a major lower in blood sugars and insulin resistance in comparison with the low-onion group. They went up within the low-onion group, however down within the high-onion group. So, make onions your buddy. What’s the worst that may occur—a bit onion breath and BO? Most likely the least of your worries when you’ve got most cancers on chemotherapy.
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