Smelly but beneficial: Why onion and garlic are good for you
They may be pungent and give you bad breath, but allium vegetables such as onion and garlic pack a punch when it comes to health benefits. Research studies have linked the consumption of onion and garlic, as well as other allium vegetables such as scallions or shallots, leeks and chives, to a decreased risk of cancer, particularly cancers of the gastrointestinal tract.
Onion and garlic, commonly used in curries, marinades, soups and salads, are among the oldest cultivated plants in the world. Ancient medical texts from Greece, Egypt, Rome, India and China, mention therapeutic applications for onion, garlic and other allium vegetables.
Onion and garlic get their pungent flavour from their sulfur-containing compounds which also give them their anti-cancer properties. Both these vegetables are also a rich source of antioxidants (flavonoids and phenols), vitamins and minerals. Garlic is particularly rich in minerals, with 100g of raw garlic containing 401mg of potassium, 153mg of phosphorus and 14.2mcg of selenium.
Cooking has not been found to impact the protective effects of onion and garlic.
3 ways onion and garlic are good for you:
Cancer-prevention: Extensive research on onion and garlic points to their protective effects in relation to stomach, colorectal and oesophageal cancers. Evidence suggests that the compounds in onion and garlic suppress the proliferation of cancer cells.
Detoxification: Onion and garlic have also been found to help remove toxins from the body. A study conducted at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle in the USA found that eating a teaspoon of fresh garlic and a half cup of onions daily increased the levels of a key enzyme which helped to remove toxins from the blood cells of healthy women.
Cholesterol and heart disease: There is evidence that garlic can help to prevent heart disease by slowing down the buildup of plaque in blood vessels, as well as lowering blood pressure. Earlier studies also found that garlic lowered high cholesterol.
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