Onion is a familiar food. Onions in Europe and the United States have been hailed as “Queens†in the cuisine and have extremely high medicinal value. According to Gu Jukang, an expert from the center of the Shanghai Grand Cardiothoracic Hospital, onion should be eaten in peacetime. It has a good effect on cardiovascular health and it is recommended that it be eaten in moderation.
What are the effects of onion on cardiovascular health?
Director Gu Jukang introduced that onion contains prostaglandins, which play an important role in lowering blood pressure, preventing thrombosis, and protecting major organs such as the brain and heart. So far, scientists have discovered that only onions are vegetables that contain prostaglandins. Onion in Japan has become a hypotensive food for high blood pressure patients. Japanese scholars have studied for many years: long-term onion can stabilize blood pressure, reduce vascular fragility, and have a good protective effect on human arterial blood vessels.
Anti-arteriosclerosis, reduce thrombosis
Onions contain flavonoids, a generic term for a group of plant pigments called quercetin, which have a particularly high protective effect on the heart. According to Dr. John Fortz, a professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin, it is an antioxidant. Oxygen can be prevented from binding with low-density lipoprotein (if they are combined, they adhere to the blood vessel wall, preventing blood flow). In addition, it reduces platelet viscosity. Tests have shown that after eating onions, platelet viscosity can be reduced by 34%. Eating onions for a long time can prevent arteriosclerosis and reduce vascular embolism. Onions have the effect of dissipating blood clots in the blood vessels. The onion contained in onions can reduce the risk of abnormal blood coagulation, lower cholesterol in the blood, and prevent thrombosis, thus it can be used to prevent and cure atherosclerosis and thrombosis.
Reduce blood lipids
Onions contain almost no fat but contain dilute propyl, disulfide, and active ingredients that activate hemolysin. These substances are strong vasodilators, can reduce the resistance of peripheral blood vessels and coronary arteries, and have a role against vasopressors such as catecholamines in the body.
Contains trace element selenium
Selenium is an antioxidant. Its special function is to make the body produce a lot of glutathione. The physiological function of glutathione is to deliver oxygen for cellular respiration. With a high concentration of glutathione, the incidence of cancer will be greatly reduced, so onions are also anti-cancer foods.
If you insist on eating 50-100 grams of onions every day, it will play a good role in stabilizing blood pressure and maintaining normal blood lipids. Director Chen suggested that cardiovascular patients may wish to try.