| Subject: Stinky Onions Fight Cancer Best |
Author:
Betty
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Date Posted: 22:04:06 10/24/04 Sun
In reply to:
Betty
's message, "no no no, you can have her, she's too fat for me" on 10:16:27 03/10/04 Wed
Stinky Onions Fight Cancer Best
Onions have been ranked on their ability to fight cancer, and if you value your health more than fresh breath, take note: The stinky ones win out.
US researchers at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York have helped answered a question that surely plagues many a grocery shopper: Which type of onion will best help me ward off liver cancer and colon cancer?
While it may sound humorous, onions are thought to be good cancer fighters, and now study leader Rui Hai Liu and colleagues have shown that amongst onions, those with the strongest flavor have the highest antioxidant activity and are best for inhibiting the growth of liver and colon cancer cells.
"No one knows yet how many daily servings of onions you'd have to eat to maximize protection against cancer, but our study suggests that people who are more health conscious might want to go with the stronger onions rather than the mild ones," says Liu.
Sweet nothings
The third-most-consumed vegetable crop in the US, onions are rich in a flavonoid called quercetin that's a potent antioxidant and has been linked to protection from several diseases, including cancer.
To test which onions are the best cancer fighters, Liu and colleagues analyzed 10 common varieties and shallots—onion-like veggies that are actually a separate species—for antioxidant activity and the ability to fight cancer in human cell lines.
Examining extracts of fresh, uncooked bulbs without the skin, the researchers found that shallots and onions with the strongest flavor also had the highest total antioxidant activity while varieties with the mildest flavor—Empire Sweet, Western White, Peruvian Sweet, Mexico, Texas 1015, Imperial Valley Sweet and Vidalia—had the lowest.
The researchers then tested onion extracts on liver and colon cancer cells, and found that, once again, the most flavorful were the most potent while the sweetest showed relatively little cancer-fighting ability. The strongest cancer fighters were New York Bold, Western Yellow and shallots.
Colon cleansers
Overall, onions were far better at inhibiting the growth of colon cancer cells than liver cancer cells, suggesting that they're better colon cancer fighters. (Apples also contain compounds that fight colon cancer, so fresh apple-onion salads may soon be on the menu of health-conscious people everywhere.)
As for cooked onions, the researchers didn't test whether cooking affects their cancer-fighting ability. While cooking can reduce the nutritional value of some foods, it has been shown to increase the cancer-fighting ability of others, such as those containing lycopene.
Besides studies of how cooking affects onions' health-promoting properties, Liu also says that human studies are needed to determine definitive links between onion consumption and cancer prevention.
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