The onion is the most widely grown vegetable in the world and is very nutritious; hence, it was regarded as the "Queen of Vegetables."
Besides providing the essential nutrients, onions are also full of various medicinal properties like antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral.
It is worth mentioning that onions contain fructans, a kind of carbohydrate rarely present in most vegetables.
Fructans provide a number of health-promoting benefits, acting to reduce the formation of tumor-related substances and aiding in the prevention of cancer and other chronic diseases. They also help feed good bacteria in the gut, promoting their proliferation.
However, consuming onions in excess can have a number of adverse effects. Because the digestive system cannot break them down due to the absence of enzymes responsible for that purpose, fructans cannot be digested or absorbed. If too many fructans reach the gut, they might accumulate and cause bloating, stomach pain, gas, and cramping. For this reason, the consumption of onion should be in moderate quantities; intake of 50 to 80 grams a day is recommended.
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