Holistic Health Articles and Research Related to Herbal Medicines, Foods and Phytochemicals

Friday, 10 January 2020

Green Bean, the Anti-inflammatory Veggie

By Kyle J. Norton

Inflammation is a natural defense of the immune system that protects the body against the insult from the foreign invasion.

Acute inflammation occurs quickly or within the hours and lasts a few days or weeks and the damaged tissues are healed themselves after all pathogens are killed off.

However, if the immune system can not completely eradicate all invaders in the acute phase of infection, it will compromise, leading to chronic low-grade inflammation, a major cause of cardiovascular disease, arthritis, and diabetes.

Chronic inflammation is a low-grade inflammation caused by the inability of the immune system to eliminate the invasive pathogens that occurred in the acute phase of infection.

Any inflammation that lasts more than 8 weeks is considered chronic inflammation.

Believe it or not, worldwide, 3 of 5 death are results from chronic inflammatory diseases like stroke, chronic respiratory diseases, heart disorders, cancer, obesity, and diabetes.

In the US, chronic inflammatory diseases affect more than 50 million Americans each year.

Anti-inflammation is a process that inhibits the pro-inflammatory cytokines without affecting the immune system activity against pathogens.

Diseases associated with low-grade inflammation include diabetes and cardiovascular.

Conventionally, Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most common medical drugs such as aspirin. ibuprofen in reducing inflammation associated with pain-relieving.

Dr. Roma Pahwa in the classification of chronic inflammation wrote, "Chronic inflammation is also referred to as slow, long-term inflammation lasting for prolonged periods of several months to years. Generally, the extent and effects of chronic inflammation vary with the cause of the injury and the ability of the body to repair and overcome the damage".

And, "(The causes of chronic inflammation are) Failure of eliminating the agent causing acute inflammation, ..., Exposure to a low level of a particular irritant or foreign materials,...An autoimmune disorder,... Recurrent episodes of acute inflammation,... Inflammatory and biochemical inducers"

Green bean is a genus of Phaseolus Sensu Stricto, containing 55 difference species, belong to the family Fabaceae and native to the New World tropics and grown in Europe for its attractive flowers and fleshy immature pods. It can be classified into two major groups, bush beans, and pole beans.

On finding a potent veggie for the treatment of diseases associated with inflammation, researchers examined the effects of common beans hulls phenolic compounds (phenolic acids, flavonoids, and anthocyanins) and non-digestible fermentable components (short-chain fatty acid precursors) anti-inflammatory activities.

According to the tested analysis of extracted with two solvents, aqueous (70%) acetone and water from the common beans, including green beans, researchers found that

* Aqueous acetone (70%) extracted compared to other extracts showed over twice the amount of total phenolics from hulls in the exhibition of significantly higher antioxidant.

* Enzyme cyclooxygenases, COX-1 and COX-2 expression induced by proinflammatory cytokines at the site of inflammation were significantly inhibited by aqueous acetone compared to water extract.

* Bean hull water extracts expressed of oxidative enzyme lipoxygenase associated with inflammation also reduced.

Moreover, the anti-inflammatory activity of bean hulls was totally dependent on their phenolic content affected by the cultivar and extracting solvent antioxidant activity.

Taken altogether, green beans hulls may be used as an adjunct therapy for the prevention of inflammation, pending to the confirmation of larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

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Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) hulls by Oomah BD1, Corbé A, Balasubramanian P. (PubMed)
(2) Chronic Inflammation by Roma Pahwa; Ishwarlal Jialal. (NCBI)

Antioxidant Lycopene in the Prevention of Acute Pancreatitis.

By Kyle J. Norton

Pancreatitis is a condition associated with the inflammation of the pancreas.

Most cases of pancreatitis are involved in the abnormal activation of digestive enzymes in the small intestine that attacks the pancreas.

According to the statistics, in the Western world, the incidence of chronic pancreatitis rate is 5-12/100,000.

Epidemiologically, the chronic condition is found mostly in patients between the ages of 30 and 40 and more common in men than women.

Acute pancreatitis is an inflammation that starts rapidly and lasts for a short time. The condition can be mild or severe. In mild cases, most patients are recovered quickly if the cause is found.

In severe cases, acute pancreatitis can be life threatening. The condition has been found to induce bleeding into the gland, serious tissue damage, infection, and cyst formation.

In some patients, the condition also can cause damage to vital organs such as the heart, lungs, and kidney

Most common symptoms of acute pancreatitis are upper abdominal pain, swollen and tender abdomen, nausea and vomiting, fever, and increased heart rate.

If you have some of the aforementioned symptoms that persistently with no signs of healing. Please check with your doctor to rule out the possibility of acute pancreatitis.

The exact causes of acute pancreatitis are unknown. Most common factors associated with the prevalent risk of acute pancreatitis are gallstones or heavy alcohol use.

Dr. Parimal Chowdhury, the lead scientist wrote, "Use of alcohol is a worldwide habit regardless of socio-economic background. Heavy alcohol consumption is a potential risk factor for induction of pancreatitis".

And, "The current review cites the updated literature on the alcohol metabolism, its effects on gastrointestinal and pancreatic function and in causing pancreatic injury, genetic predisposition of alcohol-induced pancreatitis".

Other risk factors found in patients with acute pancreatitis are long-term use of some medications such as Azathioprine, Thiazide, and Valproic acid, autoimmune disease, infections, trauma, metabolic disorders, and surgery.

Lycopene is a phytochemical found in tomato in the class of carotenoid, a natural pigment with no vitamin A activity found abundantly in tomatoes and other red fruits and vegetables, such as red carrots, watermelons, and papayas,

Tomatoes provide about 80% of the lycopene in the world diet. In plants, lycopene protects the host against excessive photodamage and perform various functions in photosynthesis.

On finding a potential compound for the treatment of pancreatic disease, researchers examined the anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of lycopene on severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) in both in vivo and in vitro models.

According to the tested differentiation, lycopene administration protected against SAP by decreasing the levels of serum amylase and C-reactive protein associated with the inflammatory pancreas.

Lycopene also inhibited the overexpression of pro-inflammatory proteins such as The serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, macrophage inflammatory protein-1α.

Free radicals overexpression such as lipid peroxidase and antioxidant enzymes production such as myeloperoxidase and superoxide dismutase associated with oxidative stress was also modulated by the injection of lycopene against acinar cells in pancreas against cells apoptosis.

In other words, lycopene protected the pancreas against the onset of acute pancreatitis in a simulated SAP model in a rat acinar cell line by inhibiting ROS.induction.

Based on the findings, researchers said, "Lycopene exerts protective effects against SAP in rats that may be related to its anti-inflammatory property through inhibiting the expression of damage-associated molecular patterns, and anti-oxidative property".

Taken altogether, lycopene found in tomato may be considered a remedy for the prevention and treatment of acute pancreatitis, pending on the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of lycopene in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You. How-To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) Suppression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and tumor necrosis factor-alpha level by lycopene is comparable to methylprednisolone in acute pancreatitis by El-Ashmawy NE1, Khedr NF2, El-Bahrawy HA3, Hamada OB. (PubMed)
(2) Lycopene protects pancreatic acinar cells against severe acute pancreatitis by abating the oxidative stress through JNK pathway by Lv JC1, Wang G, Pan SH, Bai XW, Sun B. (PubMed)
(3) Pathophysiology of alcoholic pancreatitis: An overview by Parimal Chowdhury and Priya Gupta. (PMC)

Herbal Ashwagandha Reduces the Risk of Hypercholesterolemia

By Kyle J. Norton

Cholesterol, a waxy substance produced by the liver or the dietary plays a critical role to aid digestive function in absorbing nutrients and fluids, build strong cell membranes, produce steroid hormones and vitamin D. However, excessive amounts of cholesterol in the blood have been found to induce plaque built-up on the arterial wall, leading to hypercholesterolemia, a leading cause of heart disease, and stroke.

Hypercholesterolemia is a condition characterized by abnormally high levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream.

The condition is a result caused by either overexpression of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL).

People with hypercholesterolemia at the early stage are asymptomatic. However, patients with familial hypercholesterol may experience symptoms of chest pain with activity. xanthomas, and cholesterol deposits around the eyelids.

According to the statistics provided by the CDC, hypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor of heart disease, a leading cause of death in the US.

In the US, approximately, 71 million American adults (33.5%) have high low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad,” cholesterol. and only 1 out of every 3 adults with high LDL cholesterol has the condition under control.

Sadly, only 50% of people hypercholesterolemia are getting treatment.

Ashwagandha also is known as Withania somnifera is a nightshade plant in the genus of Withania, belonging to the family Solanaceae, native to the dry parts of India, North Africa, Middle East, and the Mediterranean.

The herbal medicine has been considered as Indian ginseng and used in Ayurvedic medicine over 3000 years to treat tumors and tubercular glands, carbuncles, memory loss, and ulcers and considered as anti-stress, cognition-facilitating, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aging herbal medicine.

On finding a potent compound for the treatment of high blood cholesterol, researchers examined the ashwagandha root extract anti hypercholesteremic effects in an animal model.

Selected hypercholesteremic male albino rats were given root powder of WS added to the diet at 0.75 and 1.5 gm/rat/day.

During the experiment, researchers found that the root powder of WS showed a strong anti-hypercholesteremic activity by significant decreasing levels of total lipids, cholesterol, and triglycerides, in blood plasma.

Furthermore, WS also reduced the levels of cholesterol by a significant increasing plasma HDL-cholesterol levels, HMG-CoA reductase activity and bile acid content of the liver.

Moreover, lipid-peroxidation associated with liver stress was inhibited by WS administration in hypercholesteremic animals, compared to other normal counterparts.

Based on the findings, researchers said, " it appeared that WS root powder is also effective in normal subjects for decreasing lipid profiles".

Taken altogether, Ashwagandha may be considered a functional herb for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia, pending to the result of larger sample size and multicenter study

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You How-To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) Hypocholesteremic and antioxidant effects of Withania somnifera (Dunal) in hypercholesteremic rats by Visavadiya NP1, Narasimhacharya AV. (PubMed)

Thursday, 9 January 2020

Green Peas (Pisum Sativum), the Anti Cancer Functional Foods

By Kyle J. Norton

Cancer is the group of chronic diseases associated with the cell growth disorderly and uncontrollably due to the alternation of DNA.

Most cases of cancer begin in the cells on the surface of the inner lining tissues of organs or glands. At the early stage, most cancers are asymptomatic. However, after penetrating through the deeper layers and colonizing the entire organs or glands, cancer cells at the advanced stage also can travel a distance away from the original site to induce secondary metastasis.

At this advanced stage, most cancers not only can induce common symptoms of gastrointestinal discomforts, unintended weight loss, loss of appetite and fatigue but also localized symptoms depending on the affected tissues and organs.

The American cancer society statistics showed that in 2018,1,735,350 new cases were diagnosed, representing more than 4,700 new cancer diagnoses each day.

The lifetime probability of being diagnosed with cancer is 39.7% for men and 37.6% for women.

The cancer mortality is the calculation of the number of cancer deaths (cancer mortality) in cancer patients

Based on 2011–2015 deaths, the cancer motility rate is 163.5 per 100,000 men and women per year.

The number of cancer survivors is expected to increase to 20.3 million by 2026.

Green peas are species of Pisum Sativum belongings to the family Fabaceae and native to western Asia from the Mediterranean Sea to the Himalaya Mountains. The pea is a green, pod-shaped vegetable and a cool-season crop grown in many parts of the world.

On finding a potent ingredient for the treatment of cancers, researchers investigated the impact of green pea (GP) extract in the prevention of cancer.

According to the results of tested assays,
* The extracts of P. sativum showed a pharmacologically active in the promotion of the anticancer activity.

* Compared to the effect of Bowman-Birk trypsin-chymotrypsin inhibitor, P. sativum may be a potential cancer chemopreventive agent.

* P. sativum exerted inhibitory activities on the growth of human colorectal adenocarcinoma HT-29.

* Extracted lectin from leaves and buds of P. sativum showed cytotoxicity to many cancer cell lines such as MCF-7 (breast), HepG-2 (liver), HEP-2 (larynx), and HCT-116 (colon).

* The seed extracts also exerted cytotoxic effects on malignant cell lines, including LS174 (colon), MDA-MB-453 (breast), A594 (lung), and K562 (blood).

Taken altogether, green peas may be considered a functional food for the prevention and treatment of cancers, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Sources
(1) Pea, Pisum sativum, and It's Anticancer Activity by Runchana Rungruangmaitree and Wannee Jiraungkoorskul. (PubMed)

Cruciferous vegetables, the Antagonistic Foods Against Cancer

By Kyle J. Norton

Cancers are a class of medical diseases associated with cell growth irregularly and disorderly in some specific tissue and organs.

Most cancer starts at the cell on the surface of the inner lining of the organ's tissue. At the later stage, cancer cells can be found in the deeper layers of the infected organ.

In the advanced stage, malignant cells can travel a distance away from the original site to infect other healthy tissue and organ through the circulation of fluids and blood.

The causes of cancer are the results of the alternation of healthy cell DNA. Researchers do not why healthy cells' DNA is alternated.

Normally, healthy cells undergo a certain number of cell cycle divisions than die. In a cancerous cell, cell division undergoes indefinitely.

According to the statistic, approximately 38.4% of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetimes.

The genetic mutation of the cancer cell may be associated with certain risk factors. Epidemiological studies suggested that long-term exposure to carcinogens, the increased in age, gender, inherited genetic defects and skin type can increase the risk the cancer onset.

Glucosinolates are sulfur-containing compounds found in cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and kale.

Drug Antagonism is an interaction between two or more drugs that have opposite effects on the body, by blocking or reducing the effectiveness of one or more of the drugs.

Antagonistic food's effects on cancer are to interfere with the metabolism of cancer by interacting with the activation of transcription factors, enzymes, and proteins associated with the anti-cancer activity.

Cruciferous vegetables are a group of vegetables, belongings to the family Brassicaceae (also called Cruciferae) with many genera, species, and cultivated all over the world in suitable climate for commercial profits, including cauliflower, cabbage, kale, garden cress, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and green leafy vegetables.

On finding potential and natural foods that process anti-cancer property, researchers investigated the antagonistic activity of benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC), phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) and sulforaphane (SFN) found across the cruciferous vegetables.

Based on the results of differentiation, all three BITC, PEITC, and SFN showed strong effects against cancer by direct/indirect interaction with Nrf2, a protein associated with the expression of antioxidants and NF-κB protein involved in the production of inflammatory cytokines.

In the comparison assay, BITC showed the affinity to inhibit the NF-κB due to the presence of additional benzyl structure compared to SFN.

Collectively, researchers said, " We have also discussed the molecular interaction(s) of the antagonistic effect of BITC, PEITC, and SFN with Nrf2 and NF-κB to prevent cancer and promote cancer cell apoptosis.

Taken altogether, dietary cruciferous vegetables processed a high amount of benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC), phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) and sulforaphane (SFN) may be considered antagonistic foods against cancer, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You. How-To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) Anti-Carcinogenic Glucosinolates in Cruciferous Vegetables and Their Antagonistic Effects on Prevention of Cancers by Soundararajan P1, Kim JS. (PubMed)

Brassica rapa Protects the Kidney Cells Against Oxidative Stress Induced by Chemo Drug Cisplatin

By Kyle J. Norton

Kidneys are 2 bean-shaped organs found in the left and right side in the retroperitoneal space in the body.

The function of kidneys is to filter blood and control fluids. They are the second detoxed organs besides the liver and skin.

Due to millions of tiny filters called nephrons in each kidney, people may not experience any kidney dysfunction symptoms at an early stage.

Kidney diseases are a class of medical conditions associated with reduced function of the kidney, in cases, complete loss of kidney function such as kidney failure.

Believe it or not, in the US, the leading causes of kidney failure and the end stage of chronic kidney diseases are diabetes and high blood pressure.

Nephrotoxicity or acute kidney failure is a condition of toxicity in the kidneys.

The disease is caused by a poisonous effect of prolonged use of certain medications and the accumulation of harmful chemicals.

According to the American physician association, long term use of penicillins, cephalosporins, sulfonamides, thiazide diuretics, furosemide, NSAIDs and rifampicin are associated to increase damage to the kidney.

And people with age over 60 are at increased risk of nephrotoxicity if the above medicines are prescribed for prolonged periods.

Oxidative stress is a condition caused by an imbalance of the ratio of free radicals and antioxidants in the body.

In other words, oxidative stress is either caused by overexpression of free radical or depletion of antioxidant enzymes in the body.

Long-term oxidative stress presented in the body can cause protein and lipid damage and alternation of cell DNA, leading to the onset of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and nephrotoxicity.

Brassica rapa is a species of a plant including turnip, napa cabbage, and bok choy.
On finding a potential plant that protects the kidney against damage, researchers compared the effects of ethanol extract of the roots of Brassica rapa (EBR) on cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity associated with oxidative stress.

Before treatment with EBR, cisplatin decreased the antioxidant enzyme activity such as glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in the cells.

Furthermore, A single dose of cisplatin (7 mg/kg, i.p.) that causes kidney damage manifested by an elevation in blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine, and urine lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels and oxidative stress malondialdehyde (MDA) production, and activities of aldehyde oxidase (AO) and xanthine oxidase (XO) in the kidney.

In vitro, LLC-PK1 cells pretreated by EBR prevented cisplatin-induced decreases in cell viability and cellular antioxidant GSH content.

Pretreatment of EBR, not only inhibited all parameters associated with the side effect caused by injection of cisplatin but also protected the kidney against damage induced by oxidative stress.

Based on the experimental results, researchers said, "This extract also recovered the reduced activities of GPx, SOD, and CAT. Taken together, our data indicate that the ethanol extract of the roots of Brassica rapa (EBR) has a protective effect against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity because it attenuates oxidative stress".

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You How To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) Protective effect of the ethanol extract of the roots of Brassica rapa on cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in LLC-PK1 cells and rats by Kim YH1, Kim YW, Oh YJ, Back NI, Chung SA, Chung HG, Jeong TS, Choi MS, Lee KT. (PubMed)

Wednesday, 8 January 2020

Healthy Food Onion Improves the Endothelial Functioning

By Kyle J. Norton

The endothelium is a layer of membrane that lines the inside of the heart and blood vessels.
Endothelial cells found in the endothelium processes a function to control vascular relaxation and contraction and enzymes involved in blood clotting, immune function, and platelet. adhesion.

In other words, under normal conditions, the cells of endothelium protect the heart muscles and the blood vessels against the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Endothelial dysfunction is a common and early event in cardiovascular disease (CVD) caused by reduced function of endothelium due to damage occurred in the vascular endothelium.

Endothelial dysfunction caused by cardiovascular disease involves different mechanisms, depending on specific risk factors. Particularly, a reduction in nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability that interferes with the diverse physiological actions, including vasodilation, anti-inflammation, antiplatelet, antiproliferation and antimigration are some of the major causes of endothelial dysfunction.

Epidemiologically, hypercholesterolemia, hyperglycemia, hypertension, smoking, inflammation, and aging are some of the prevalent factors found in patients with endothelial dysfunction.

Dr. Hirata Y and colleagues in examining the treatment of endothelial dysfunction conventionally wrote, Vascular endothelial dysfunction reflected by reduced nitric oxide (NO) availability is certainly the causative factor or promoting the mechanism of arteriosclerosis"

And, " There are nonpharmacological and pharmacological therapies to attain endothelial repair. The former includes bodyweight reduction, aerobic exercise, and restriction of salt intake, while the latter includes the use of renin-angiotensin system inhibitors, calcium antagonists, some types of beta-blockers, statins, erythropoietin, tetrahydrobiopterin, and antioxidants. These therapies are intended to increase NO synthase activity and NO release, inhibit NO degradation, and enhance the activity of endothelial progenitor cells".

The onion is a plant in the genus Allium, belongings to the family Alliaceae, a close relation of garlic. It is often called the "king of vegetables" because of its pungent taste and found in a large number of recipes and preparations spanning almost the totality of the world's cultures.

Depending on the variety, an onion can be sharp, spicy, tangy, pungent, mild or sweet.

On finding a potent ingredient that processes cardioprotection researchers examined the effects of onion peel extract (OPE) on endothelial function in healthy overweight and obese individuals.

The randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study included a total of 72 healthy overweight and obese participants randomly assigned to receive a red, soft capsule of OPE (100 mg quercetin/d, 50 mg quercetin twice daily; n = 36 participants) or an identical placebo capsule (n = 36) for 12 wk.

According to the tested assays, the OPE treated group showed significant improvement of flow-mediated dilation (FMD) associated with the dilation of an artery that increases blood flow at 12 wk, compared to no difference in the placebo group.

The circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) counts and percentage of EPCs associated with the promotion of repaired vascular damage were significantly increased in the OPE group.

More precisely, OPE decreased the patients with endothelial dysfunction from 26% to 9%.

Based on the findings, researchers said, "Medium-term administration of OPE an improvement in FMD and circulating EPCs (in patients with the endothelial dysfunction)".

Taken altogether, onion may be considered a remedy for the promotion of endothelial function, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Sources
(1) Effect of onion peel extract on endothelial function and endothelial progenitor cells in overweight and obese individuals by Choi EY1, Lee H2, Woo JS1, Jang HH1, Hwang SJ1, Kim HS1, Kim WS1, Kim YS3, Choue R2, Cha YJ4, Yim JE4, Kim W. (PubMed)
(2) Diagnosis and treatment of endothelial dysfunction in cardiovascular disease by Hirata Y1, Nagata D, Suzuki E, Nishimatsu H, Suzuki J, Nagai R. (PubMed)