Garlic and Onions for Health: Anti-Obesity, Anti-Inflammatory, and More

Anti-inflammatory foods including garlic, onions, and ginger for weight management and longevity.

Do the right foods boost your overall health and longevity?

My Noni used to say that a bulb of garlic every day was the reason she was walking independently, cooking, and moving around in her 90s. She was pretty fabulous, but we live in a world where people want hard facts and science. Was she onto something, or citing garlic propaganda?

Well, a whole bulb of garlic might not be the exclusive answer, but you’ve got to admit that she was onto something! Decades of research report a slew of positive effects from consumption of Allium species (our onions and garlics). By chemically regulating organ and muscle function, onions can impact obesity and diabetes[1] - and that’s just one facet of their goodness! To cite Ali et. al who sum it up beautifully: “Both onions and garlic have been shown to have applications as antimicrobial, antithrombotic, antitumor, hypolipidaemic, antiarthritic and hypoglycemic agents[2].” That means that your onions can help prevent prolonged illness, blood clots, cancer, high cholesterol, inflammatory diseases, and diabetes. Time to tell your sister who hates onions to start eating some!

Can I meet my dietary needs with supplements?

There’s a bit of mystery (and by that I mean a LOT) to the natural world of foods, but one thing is clear: Getting the bulk of your nutrients by eating plants conveys more benefits than taking supplements. Plants don’t just provide vitamins and minerals; they’re packed with bioactive compounds called phytochemicals – natural substances that help protect our health in ways supplements can’t fully replicate. For onions, these include a few antioxidant[1,3] and metabolically active compounds[1,4–6] (quercetin, isorhamnetin, anthocyanin, and sulfuric derivatives, to name a few). Different Allium species contain different amounts of these chemicals. Just another reason to use all the tasty varieties!

Onions: a research-backed superfood

If you like to see a good testable hypothesis and readout, raise your hand! *Alexis waves frantically*

Ok, for the four of us who raised our hands, here are a couple examples:

Could a fried snack do some good?

One study measured blood concentration of flavonoids and the concentration of oxidative stress markers in urine after an indulgent meal of onion rings[3]. Even as a fried treat, the onion consumption elevated antioxidant flavonoids in the body and decreased one marker of oxidative damage.

Can Allium plants really do ALL the things?

Another paper looked at two effects of a sulfide compound from onions and garlic (MATS). They explained mechanisms in vitro for how MATS can 1) prevent blood clots and 2) prevent cancerous growth[5]. The authors showed that the platelet aggregation reaction which leads to clots is stopped midway by MATS. Then they took a cancer cell line and added garlic or onion oils to see whether the cells continued rapidly growing or slowed down and differentiated into less aggressive cell types. The result? Both oils could stop cancer cells from proliferating and convert them to other cell types. Dang onion, you really are a superfood!

So, whether you’re team garlic, team onion, or both – keep them in your diet! Science keeps proving what tradition has long known: these flavorful bulbs do more than just season your food. They might just help you thrive.

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References

1.         Kawser Hossain, M.; Abdal Dayem, A.; Han, J.; Yin, Y.; Kim, K.; Kumar Saha, S.; Yang, G.-M.; Choi, H.Y.; Cho, S.-G. Molecular Mechanisms of the Anti-Obesity and Anti-Diabetic Properties of Flavonoids. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2016, 17, 569, doi:10.3390/ijms17040569. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4849025/

2.         Ali, M.; Thomson, M.; Afzal, M. Garlic and Onions: Their Effect on Eicosanoid Metabolism and Its Clinical Relevance. Prostaglandins Leukot. Essent. Fatty Acids 2000, 62, 55–73, doi:10.1054/plef.1999.0124. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10780871/

3.         Boyle, S.P.; Dobson, V.L.; Duthie, S.J.; Kyle, J.A.; Collins, A.R. Absorption and DNA Protective Effects of Flavonoid Glycosides from an Onion Meal. Eur. J. Nutr. 2000, 39, 213–223, doi:10.1007/s003940070014. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11131368/

4.         González-Arceo, M.; Gomez-Lopez, I.; Carr-Ugarte, H.; Eseberri, I.; González, M.; Cano, M.P.; Portillo, M.P.; Gómez-Zorita, S. Anti-Obesity Effects of Isorhamnetin and Isorhamnetin Conjugates. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 24, 299, doi:10.3390/ijms24010299. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36613743/

5.         Ariga, T.; Tsuj, K.; Seki, T.; Moritomo, T.; Yamamoto, J.I. Antithrombotic and Antineoplastic Effects of Phyto-Organosulfur Compounds. BioFactors Oxf. Engl. 2000, 13, 251–255, doi:10.1002/biof.5520130138. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11237190/

6.         Zhang, C.; Li, X.; Zhan, Z.; Cao, L.; Zeng, A.; Chang, G.; Liang, Y. Transcriptome Sequencing and Metabolism Analysis Reveals the Role of Cyanidin Metabolism in Dark-Red Onion (Allium Cepa L.) Bulbs. Sci. Rep. 2018, 8, 14109, doi:10.1038/s41598-018-32472-5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30237461/