This low-calorie vegetable is packed full of vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium, folic acid, and many other nutrients, not to mention add flavor to our favorite dishes. Now researchers have found that onions may help prevent chronic diseases.

Onions contain a large amount of quercetin - twice as much as in tea and three times as much as in apples. Quercetin is a flavonoid, which is a type of antioxidant. Antioxidants delay or slow cell and tissue damage by catching free radicals. Studies have shown that quercetin can help to prevent cancer, cardiovascular disease, and cataracts because of these antioxidant properties.

Studies have also shown other health benefits of onions, such as lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, and reducing blood clots. Quercetin prohibits LDL cholesterol from becoming oxidized. Oxidized LDL carries the cholesterol to the artery walls where it can build up and cause heart attacks or strokes. Quercetin lowers blood pressure and reduces blood clots by prohibiting platelets within the blood to clump together.

Onions may also prevent gastric ulcers and osteoporosis. Read more...

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Read more about the health benefits of onions.