1 Onions provide health-promoting phytochemicals as well as nutrients. They contain quercetin, a flavonoid (a type of antioxidant compound), which helps eliminate free radicals in the body. Other sources of quercetin are tea and apples, but research shows that absorption of quercetin from onions is twice that from tea and more than three times that from apples.

2 Numerous studies have shown quercetin to have beneficial effects against many diseases and disorders, including cataracts, cardiovascular disease as well as cancer of the breast, colon, ovaries, gastric, lung and bladder, says www.onions-usa.org

3 Onions may also have a beneficial effect on cholesterol levels and are believed to prevent the biochemical chain of events that leads to asthma and inflammatory reactions, says www.health.learninginfo.org/onion-nutrition.htm

4 Onions are a source of vitamin C, potassium, dietary fibre and folic acid. They also contain calcium and iron and have a high protein content, are low in sodium and contain no fat.

5 Why do onions make you cry? When you slice an onion, you break open a number of onion cells and a series of rapid chemical reactions take place. The reactions release sulphur, which irritates our eyes. Some cooks say that chilling an onion for 30 minutes before peeling it will prevent this.

SMOKERS, STAY OFF VIT E PILLS
Male smokers who had a high dietary intake of vitamin C and took vitamin E supplements increased their tuberculosis risk by

72 per cent, according to a recent study published in the British Journal of Nutrition.

However, vitamin E had no effect on those who had low dietary vitamin C intake, Sciencedaily.com reported.

Previous studies have suggested that vitamin E might strengthen the immune system. In animal studies, vitamin E seemed to protect against various infections.

This study was conducted in Finland between 1985 and 1993 and included male smokers aged between 50 and 69. There were 174 cases of tuberculosis in 29,023 participants during the six-year supplementation of 50mg per day of vitamin E.

The researchers concluded that 'the consumption of vitamin E supplements by the general population should be discouraged because there is evidence of harm for some people'.

This story was first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times, on May 7, 2008.