Eat Shrink And Be Merry

Think milk is the only food that gives your bones a boost? Well moooove on over, Betsy!

Though onions may bring a tear to your eye, it seems they might also bring you stronger, healthier bones! The super-brainy folks over at the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry have apparently identified—hot off the test tube—a compound in onions that inhibits the activity of osteoclasts. That’s scientific mumbo jumbo meaning “cells that break down bone.” (I’ll spare you the ridiculously unpronounceable lab name of the newly identified compound for now. Write to me if you’re in an upcoming spelling bee and need the new word in your repertoire.) Anyway, when animals in the study were given more of this onion compound, the more bone breakdown was inhibited. For crying out loud!

This is great news for women who are at risk for osteoporosis as they go through menopause. Fosamax, the drug typically prescribed to prevent excessive bone loss, works in a similar manner (by destroying osteoclasts so they don’t break down bone.) Potential negative side effects of Fosamax include irritation of the upper gastrointestinal mucosa, acid regurgitation, esophageal ulcers and erosions. Potential negative side effects of eating onions: onion breath!

By the way, bone-building isn’t the only reason onions have appeel. Their sulphur compounds are potent liver detoxifiers, and they contain loads of age-defying antioxidants, too! But did you know that the more an onion makes you cry, the better it is for you? It’s true! The more pungent and potent an onion, the stronger its antioxidants that’ll help prevent disease and keep you looking younger. Plenty of reasons to cry for joy!