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Thursday, April 7, 2005
Onions could be good for the bones
Hope of averting osteoporosis
WASHINGTON -- Onions might not be your favorite veggie, but according to new research, they could help prevent osteoporosis.
Onions already have become increasingly known for their potential health benefits as the richest dietary source of a potent antioxidant against heart disease and cancer.
In a study to be published May 4 in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, scientists at the University of Bern in Switzerland found that onions may inhibit the loss of bone density as well.
To date, the nutritional recommendations for osteoporosis prevention are limited to taking calcium and vitamin D, although many studies have suggested that eating more fruits and vegetables may help, said one of the researchers, pharmacologist Rudolf Brenneisen.
Osteoporosis, a condition in which the honeycomb structure inside bones becomes weak and prone to fractures, can be fatal and commonly leads to a hunched back as the vertebrae of the spine collapse.
Brenneisen's team found that one of the active chemical components of white onions inhibited the loss of bone minerals in rats.
The challenge, Brenneisen said, is to determine whether the chemical will have a similar effect in people.
The National Osteoporosis Foundation said 52 million Americans will be affected by osteoporosis in 2010, and that will climb to more than 61 million by 2020.
THC heart benefit
Low doses of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the main active ingredient in marijuana, slowed the progression of hardening of the arteries in mice, suggesting a hint for developing a new therapy in people.
Experts stressed that the finding does not mean people should smoke marijuana in hopes of getting the same benefit.
"To extrapolate this to 'A joint a day will keep the doctor away' I think is premature," said Dr. Peter Libby, chief of cardiovascular medicine at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital.
The mouse work is presented in today's issue of the journal Nature by Dr. Francois Mach of Geneva University Hospital in Geneva, Switzerland, and colleagues. He said in an e-mail that he believed future work will focus on finding drugs that mimic the benefit without producing marijuana's effects on the brain.
Hardening of the arteries sets the stage for heart attacks.
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