Do you love the taste of onions? If so, keep eating them because according to science, they have powerful cancer fighting properties. Following your taste buds in this case could be the best thing that you do for your health.
Although onions are good for you in general, there is one that carries a much more powerful punch. Which do you think – red, white, or yellow? If you said red, you’re right. New research shows that red onions ( or purple onions, as some call it), are the most effective when it comes to killing breast and colon cancers.
All onions contain an antioxidant called quercetin that kills cancer cells, but the quercetin in red onions tend to kill cancer cells faster.
It seems the dark color of red onions have higher levels of anthocyanin. This is a pigment that increases the effectiveness of quercetin (the cancer fighting agent). Anthocyanin can be found in lots of fruits and vegetables as it gives the foods their color. The ones that are the darkest tend to have the highest cancer-fighting power.
According to Abdulmonem Murayyan, the author of the study, the onions activate pathways that essentially push the cancer cell to death.
How? By creating an environment where the cell can no longer “meet” with other cancer cells and therefore inhibits further growth.
While the purple onion has the highest levels of this anthocyanin, all onions contain this and can therefore provide this benefit. Just keep in mind, red onions rank #1.
So, if you’re not an onion lover – try to start loving them (particularly the red) beginning now. And if you are an onion lover, keep eating plenty of it (preferably in raw form).
READ MORE: This One Type of Onion Has Some Major Cancer-Fighting Benefits, Science Says
