A study published in Food Research International found that red onions contain potent antioxidants that effectively kill cancer cells.
As part of the study, a team of researchers from the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, examined five varieties of onions and tested their cancer compounds against colon cancer cells grown in the laboratory.
The promising results:
Health experts have found that red onions effectively eliminate cancer cells from the colon. The team also noted that the "Ruby Ring" was the most powerful variety of onions to kill malignant cells.
According to the research team, the red onions contained significantly high levels of flavonoid quercetin. Experts also noted that red onions were rich in anthocyanin, a compound that enhances the quercetin's scavenging properties.
In addition, the study also found that red onions were equally powerful in eliminating breast cancer cells.
Lead author Dr. Abdulmonem Murayyan said, "Anthocyanin is essential for coloring fruits and vegetables. It is therefore logical that red onions, darker in color, have the most power against cancer.
"We found that onions are excellent for killing cancer cells. They activate pathways that encourage cancer cells to undergo cell death. They promote an unfavorable environment for cancer cells and disrupt communication between them, which inhibits growth. "
"The next step will be to test the potency of fighting the cancer of the vegetable in human trials," the researcher concluded.
However, external expert Justine Alford remains dubious about the results. Dr. Alford is currently Senior Science Information Officer for Cancer Research UK.
According to him, "the researchers found that extracts of certain types of onions could kill intestinal cancer cells in a laboratory, but that does not mean that the same thing would happen in a person's body, because that's much more complex.
"If scientists can unravel what molecules in onions have these seemingly beneficial effects, then maybe they could be studied as a potential drug in the future," said Dr. Alford.