Can onion lower blood pressure, can it replace antihypertensive drugs? Is it better to eat raw or cooked? once and for all

The 55-year-old Uncle Zhang has been suffering from high blood pressure for almost 6 years, and he usually insists on taking antihypertensive drugs.

3 months ago, Uncle Zhang read an article saying: A researcher asked the experimenter to drink a standard amount of onion juice every day, and found that after taking it for three months, the blood pressure would be lower than before the experiment. Onions have the effect of lowering blood pressure .

So, Uncle Zhang also started drinking onion soaked in water. After drinking it for a while, he found that his blood pressure did drop a little, which surprised Uncle Zhang. So he stopped the medicine, simply drank onions soaked in water, and occasionally ate fried onions , and kept it like this for three months.

But just last week, Uncle Zhang suddenly felt dizzy and had a headache. His hands were shaking uncontrollably, and he couldn't hold the water glass steadily. Then he fainted and his family rushed him to the hospital.

After examination, it was found that Uncle Zhang's blood pressure was as high as 170/100, and cerebral MRI showed cerebral infarction. The doctor considered that Uncle Zhang's condition was closely related to the recent withdrawal of medication and eating only onions. Can onions really lower blood pressure? Can it replace antihypertensive drugs to treat high blood pressure?

1. Onion can lower blood pressure, is it an edible "heart stent"?

On the Internet, it has been circulated that "onions can reduce blood pressure and clear blood vessels, and are 'heart stents' in food". Is the antihypertensive effect of onions really so good?

It is undeniable that onion is indeed a nutrient-rich food, containing a variety of sulfides, prostaglandins, anthocyanins, quercetin, calcium, iron and other nutrients.

As for the "onion blood pressure" statement, it is mainly derived from a study that found that the onion extract prostaglandin A has the effect of dilating blood vessels , which can achieve the effect of reducing blood pressure.

In the "China Guidelines for Primary Management of Hypertension (Revised 2014)" on non-drug therapy for antihypertensive treatment, the main food-related content mentioned are: reducing salt intake (<6g/day), reasonable diet ( Fat control, calorie control, balanced diet), eat more fruits and vegetables (vegetables 400-500g/day, fruits 100g/day).

It can be seen that diet therapy does have a certain antihypertensive effect. However, this refers to overall dietary patterns, not specific foods .

In addition, for hypertensive patients, diet therapy cannot be used instead of drug therapy.

Because the conventional onion treatment method cannot completely dissolve the active ingredients in it, and even high temperature may destroy some of the ingredients and affect the curative effect.

The antihypertensive drugs are different. They are specially developed for high blood pressure and have obvious therapeutic effects .

If you stop the drug blindly and delusionally achieve the effect of lowering blood pressure by simply eating onions, the result is often that blood pressure does not drop but rises . , kidney failure and other problems, which are very dangerous and can be fatal.

Therefore, taking antihypertensive drugs on time is the most correct antihypertensive remedy.

Second, onions can not only fight cancer, lower blood sugar, but also prevent colds?

Regarding the efficacy of onions, there are many claims on the Internet, such as anti-cancer, lowering blood sugar, preventing colds... Are these true?

1. Onions contain anticancer active substances

Animal experiments have found that selenium and quercetin in onions have certain anti-cancer activities, which can reduce the risk of some cancers. But animal experiments are not the same as human experiments, so everyone still has to look at it rationally.

Of course, eating some onions as a vegetable is beneficial to human health.

2. Cut onions to prevent colds

In order to understand the authenticity, some experimenters selected 5 monitoring points in a 30-square-meter closed space, and placed onions respectively to observe the changes in the number of colonies. Results After 24 hours, the average number of colonies at these monitoring points did not decrease, but increased slightly.

3. Onion has hypoglycemic effect

Experts from WHO have found through research that the incidence of diabetes in Pakistanis is low, which is related to their love of eating onions.

Third, purple skin, white skin, yellow skin onion, which is better?

There are also many types of onions, such as purple-skinned, white-skinned, and yellow-skinned onions, which one is better?

1. Different varieties

This is the essential reason for the different colors of the three types of onions. Among them, white-skinned onions have lower yields and are the least resistant to preservation.

2. Different taste

Different varieties have different tastes. Purple-skinned onions have a relatively spicy taste and a crisp texture; yellow-skinned onions are not so spicy, and even have a hint of sweetness; while white-skinned onions have a sweet, delicate taste and the least spicy taste.

3. Appropriate practices are different

Purple-skinned onions are more spicy and more suitable for side dishes. Adding onions during barbecue is also a good choice; yellow-skinned onions are suitable for stir-frying and stewing soups; white-skinned onions are more suitable for stir-frying or salad dressing alone.

What is the healthiest way to eat onions? Zhang Dongmei, chief physician of the Department of Endocrinology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, made the following suggestions:

• Pay attention to control the intake, try to <50g/day;
• It is better to eat raw than cooked. It can be eaten directly with other raw vegetables, or squeezed into juice to drink every day on an empty stomach;
• Purple onions have higher nutritional value than yellow onions, and the former can be preferred.

When buying an onion, pay attention to its appearance. Generally , an onion with a dry, intact skin, no rot, and a hard texture is of better quality.

However, it should be noted that onions are not suitable for everyone, such as patients with gastritis, gastric ulcers and duodenal ulcers, so as not to contain more irritating substances in onions, which can stimulate the gastric mucosa and cause gastrointestinal discomfort. In addition, people with itchy skin diseases and people who are prone to allergies should not eat onions.

Onion is just a vegetable with certain nutritional value, and eating onion properly is good for the body, but it is not appropriate to simply eat onion to solve disease problems. Eating the wrong one may actually be harmful to the body, so we should treat it rationally.

References:

[1] "Onions prevent cancer? There is no anti-cancer food in the world. If you say too much, some people will believe it | Eat and drink more seriously

[2] "Have the onion turned into a "flu buster"? A set of experimental data tells you the truth". People's Daily Online Science. 2019-01-14

[3] "When buying onions, pay attention to distinguishing between "purple skin", "yellow skin" and "white skin". Old Age Daily. 2022-05-02

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