Not only a familiar ingredient in the kitchen, onions also contain biological compounds that help protect the kidneys, especially in people at high risk such as gout patients, type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure.
Onions are one of the most common and easily found foods in every kitchen. However, not everyone knows that this pungent vegetable brings many benefits to the kidneys, the organ that silently plays the role of filtering blood, excreting and balancing the internal environment in the body.
Outstanding Antioxidants of Onions
Onions are one of the most common and easily found foods in every kitchen (Photo: Getty).
According to research published in the American Journal of Nephrology , quercetin, a natural flavonoid found in abundance in onion skin and roots.
This is a key factor in kidney protection. It helps eliminate free radicals, inhibits inflammatory reactions, and slows down the progression of glomerular fibrosis, which is the cause of impaired kidney function.
Quercetin also has the ability to inhibit the activity of the enzyme xanthine oxidase, thereby reducing the production of uric acid. This substance is a factor that causes gout and directly affects the kidneys.
A study in Frontiers in Pharmacology found that quercetin improved kidney function in rats with kidney damage caused by increased uric acid.
In addition, quercetin in onions also inhibits kidney inflammatory factors such as TNF-α, IL-6 and TGF-β1, cytokines involved in tissue damage and kidney fibrosis.
A clinical study showed that supplementing about 150–162 mg of quercetin per day for 6 weeks can help reduce systolic blood pressure by 3–4 mmHg, while improving factors that burden the kidneys such as blood sugar and HbA1c index in people with type 2 diabetes.
Spicy Bodyguard
The characteristic pungent, spicy smell of cutting onions actually comes from volatile sulfur compounds, which are created when the enzyme alliinase breaks down sulfur-containing amino acids. These compounds not only make your eyes water, but also provide many biological benefits.
Research in the journal Nutrients shows that sulfur compounds in onions have strong anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects, and inhibit the formation of fibrotic tissue in the kidneys, one of the main mechanisms leading to chronic kidney disease.
In addition, these compounds also stimulate the production of an important antioxidant that helps protect kidney cells from damage caused by oxidative stress, endogenous glutathione.
Some notes when using onions to support kidney health
Eating onions raw or lightly cooked will retain more quercetin than fully cooked onions. However, people with sensitive stomachs should cook them lightly to make them easier to digest.
Onion skins contain the highest amount of quercetin. Some nutritionists recommend cooking soup or stewing with the onion skins (washed) and then filtering them out, to take advantage of the nutrients.
People with chronic kidney disease should consult their doctor before increasing the amount of onions in their diet, especially if they are on a low potassium or phosphorus diet.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/cach-an-hanh-tay-dac-biet-tot-cho-than-20250726072501810.htm
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