A new study has found that Ontario-grown red onions effectively kill colon and breast cancer cells.
Engineering professor Suresh Neethirajan and PhD student Abdulmonem Murayyan tested five onion types grown in Ontario and discovered the Ruby Ring onion variety came out on top.
About this superfood
Onions as a superfood are still not well known. But they contain one of the highest concentrations of quercetin, a type of flavonoid. Ontario onions boasts particularly high levels of the compound compared to some parts of the world.
The study revealed that the red onion not only has high levels of quercetin, but also high amounts of anthocyanin, which enriches the scavenging properties of quercetin molecules.
“Anthocyanin is instrumental in providing colour to fruits and vegetables so it makes sense that the red onions, which are darkest in colour, would have the most cancer-fighting power,” says Murayyan.
Killing cancer cells
The study involved placing colon cancer cells in direct contact with quercetin extracted from the five different onion varieties.
“We found onions are excellent at killing cancer cells,” says Murayyan. “Onions activate pathways that encourage cancer cells to undergo cell death. They promote an unfavourable environment for cancer cells and they disrupt communication between cancer cells, which inhibits growth.”
The researchers have also recently determined onions are effective at killing breast cancer cells.
“The next step will be to test the vegetable’s cancer-fighting powers in human trials,” says Murayyan.
While we can currently include this superfood in salads as a preventative measure, the researchers expect onion extract will eventually be added to food products and be sold in pill form as a type of natural cancer treatment.
The study involved placing colon cancer cells in direct contact with quercetin extracted from the five different onion varieties.
“We found onions are excellent at killing cancer cells,” says Murayyan. “Onions activate pathways that encourage cancer cells to undergo cell death. They promote an unfavourable environment for cancer cells and they disrupt communication between cancer cells, which inhibits growth.”
The researchers have also recently determined onions are effective at killing breast cancer cells.
“The next step will be to test the vegetable’s cancer-fighting powers in human trials,” says Murayyan.
While we can currently include this superfood in salads as a preventative measure, the researchers expect onion extract will eventually be added to food products and be sold in pill form as a type of natural cancer treatment.
