The commonly used spice item called red onion can help prevent heart disease, a new study has said. According to the researchers at the Chinese University in Hong Kong, red onion helps remove harmful cholesterol from the body which is responsible for heart attacks and strokes.
However, the ingredients in red onion retain the body's good cholesterol that protects against heart disease, the researchers said.
Lead researcher Zhen Yu Chen said, "Despite extensive research on onions, little is known of how their consumption interacts with human genes and proteins involved in cholesterol metabolism within the body."
He also said, "Our study was therefore undertaken to characterise the interaction of onions with enzymes in an attempt to explore the underlying cholesterol-lowering mechanism.”
"This study is the first of its kind to investigate the interaction of red onions with biological functions," he added.
