A buildup of caffeine . . . saturates the ability of metabolism

Are the foods that we enjoy and are told are good for us in small but daily quantities really good for us? Take red wine, for exmple. I like red wine. Love Cabernet Sauvignon.  But the alcohol dehydrates my system.  Any alcohol for that matter.  Yet we're told redundantly how beneficial resveratol in red wine; that, in fact, it is in red wine where one gets the greatest concentration or variety of resveratol.  

Ditto for coffee.  Where coffee is touted as a heart strengthen-er and a girding of the constitution, an accounting of the effects of caffeine is often omitted.  Asking "What are the effects of coffee?" is very different from asking "What are the effects of caffeine?" Some claim that coffee is very good for the heart:

For the heart study, scientists looked at more than 25,000 men and women in South Korea – those who were roughly 40 years of age, had no signs of heart disease and attended a health-screening examination.

They discovered that a CAC score ratio of about 0.6 was associated with those consuming three to five cups per day, compared with non-coffee drinkers. For those drinking less than one cup a day, it was more like 0.8, dropping to 0.7 for people having one to three cups.

On the other hand, the ratio rose to 0.8 for people having five or more each day. And things like age, sex, weight, diabetes and hypertension, as well as alcohol and tobacco consumption didn’t affect the outcome. Neither did factors such as education, physical activity, family history of heart disease and dietary consumption of fruits, vegetables, red meat and processed meats, according to scientists.

Of course, it’s not clear how exactly coffee helps with the prevention of a heart attack. Researchers don’t know whether decaf coffee offers the same heart benefits as the full-strength kind. But they continue to point out the many antioxidants in coffee. Some of these may even reduce your body’s sensitivity to insulin – or improve cell function altogether. And these are two important factors behind the prevention of a heart attack. 

So there's that.  So coffee is good for your heart.  

Then there's the recent buzz about bulletproof coffee.  I have tried it and I loved it.  But I did not follow Dave Asprey's recipe.  I simply added raw, salted butter to a cup of instant coffee.  Totally sacriligeous, I know.  I'm sorry.  But it is terrific.  It is high octane. And that, my friend, can be addictive.  On 1 or 2 cups of bulletproof coffee, you can be riding high for most of your day. And you're getting some terrific saturated fats in an excellent, absolutely delicious form.  Besides taste and excellent fats, bulletproof coffee boosts testosterone.    

If you follow either the paleo movement or news from the world of coffee, chances are you’ve heard of this seemingly odd twist in your mug. Created by Dave Asprey, “bulletproof” coffee is a mix of hot coffee, butter, and coconut oil. (His actual recipe uses his own specialized, branded products; I didn’t do that.) While its merits are debated, adherents claim it fills you up better in the morning, and helps you snack less throughout the day (some even have just this boosted coffee for breakfast). It also provides good, cholesterol-laden fats and oils to start your day off right, which will help boost your testosterone.

So what's not to like about coffee?  

Maybe it's the caffeine.

Maybe.  Let's take a look at what caffeine does to our systems, and then asks ourselves if it is good for us, eh? 

What follows gets to the heart of what I wanted to discuss about coffee and about how one person swears up one side and down the other on the benefits of a food or beverage, like coffee, before we're met with a skeptic, a contrarian.  Both voices are necessary.

Not one of us have the same biochemistry. 

BRAIN ALLERGIES CAUSED BY CAFFEINE
One person can drink coffee and feel fine; another, and he can have an allergic shock to the caffeinated beverage.  Just sayin'. Apparently, I am not the only one.  

Let's start with a definition of terms:

Cerebral allergy is an allergy to a substance, which targets vulnerable brain tissue and alters brain function. Masked cerebral allergy can cause symptoms of mental illness (Walker, 1996; Rippere, 1984; Sheinken et al., 1979). Symptoms range from minimal reactions to severe psychotic states, which may include irrational behavior, disruptions in attention, lack of focus and comprehension, mood changes, lack of organizational skills, abrupt shifting of activities, delusions, hallucinations, and paranoia (Sheinken et al., 1979; McManamy et al., 1936). 

So what do we have here?  Brain allergy from substances that target "vulnerable brain tissue."  Now is the writer saying that all brain tissue is vulnerable or are there certain parts of brain tissue that are more vulnerable than others?   That's not made abundantly clear. Dr. Klein's article is about effects of caffeine, and he says that "An allergic reaction to caffeine manifests as anaphylaxis (Przybilla et al., 1983). During a state of caffeine anaphylaxis, the body enters the fight or flight mode, which may be mistaken as hyperactivity, anxiety, or panic disorder. Caffeine anaphylaxis causes cerebral vasculitis, leads to the breakdown of the blood brain barrier, and generates toxic dementia."  

HAZARDS of CAFFEINE ANAPHYLAXIS
So anaphylaxis is an allergic reaction where your face swells up. That cannot feel too good.  But the more troubling comment is this one

Caffeine anaphylaxis causes cerebral vasculitis, leads to the breakdown of the blood brain barrier, and generates toxic dementia.

It doesn't get any better.  Caffeine is serious stuff, folks.  Just the other day, Lew Rockwell mentioned how DDT is safer to consume than caffeine.  That blew me away.

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), assumed to affect children, (though of late, adult onset ADD is grabbing a slice of the pie of psychiatric disorders), is indistinguishable from caffeine allergy. Claudia Miller, M.D. stresses that a chemical sensitivity, which includes caffeine as a chemical capable of inducing sensitivity, can induce attention deficits with hyperactivity (Miller, 1997). 

Okay, we're talking here of induced caffeind toxicity without a word of how much that constitutes--3 cups, 6 cups, 10 cups of coffee?  Author so far hasn't identified. 

Deteriorating intellect, the first stage of caffeine induced allergic toxicity masquerades as ADD. Inability to concentrate, lack of comprehension, lack of focus, hyperactivity, delusions, and disorganized thought processes are hallmark signs of caffeine allergy. An allergic reaction to caffeine results in poisoning of the prefrontal cortex. Damage to the underside area on the prefrontal cortex, above the eye sockets, generally renders a person absent minded and interferes with the ability to monitor personal activities (Carter, 1998). Injury results in loss of verbal and social inhibition, interferes with focus and memory (Eliot, 1999), and suppresses math skills (Carter, 1998). 

"Disorganized thought"?   "Poisoning of the prefontal cortex"?  "renders a person absent minded and interferes with the ability to self-monitor"?  Oh, my.  This does not sound good. 

What is troubling in all of this, if this article hasn't caused you trouble already, is the saturation of caffeine in one's system.  Which begs the question, "How long does caffeine remain in one's system"?  And does it matter, if, in fact, you are drinking several cups of a caffeinated beverage in a day?  

To some of the troubling symptoms of caffeine saturation, a few scientists have found that the hair of the dog works

As Allbutt and Dixon stressed, in 1909, regarding caffeine, another “dose of the poison” provides minor relief, but continues to jeopardize organs (1909). A return to caffeine intake increases noradrenaline, heightening the fight or flight response. In turn, adrenaline, dopamine, and glucose increase, thus lifting depression. With continued substance exposure, toxins accumulate (Van Winkle, 2000).

Did you get that?  "A return to caffeine intake increases noradrenaline, heightening the fight or flight response."  And then a final blow, "With continues substance exposure, toxins accumulatre."  Oh, the outrage.  Okay, I am being a little facetious for some relief.  But clearly having all that caffeine in one's system ain't good.  

Okay, here is a little biology:

Adrenaline, the drug of choice for anaphylaxis, is always present in a caffeine consumer. By suppressing phosphodiesterase release, caffeine (Davidson, 1969) increases cyclic AMP. Excess amounts of cyclic AMP inhibit histamine production (Dykewicz, 2001; Ernst et al., 1999). Phosphodiesterase inhibitors inhibit histamine release (Raderer et al., 1995). 

Oh, boy.   A buildup of caffeinesaturates the ability of metabolism. That can't be good.  I wonder to what extent coffee, which seems ubiquitous in the American diet, is responsible for metabolic syndrome.  

Ongoing caffeine allergy induces a progressive toxic dementia (McManamy, 1936). In a caffeine allergic person, each caffeine or theophylline dose increases toxin accumulation. A buildup of caffeine, which may exceed tolerance level, saturates the ability of metabolism (Carrillo et al., 2000; Nehlig, 1999); rate of drug accumulation exceeds rate of elimination. Introducing a stimulant into a caffeine allergic individual’s system will further poison the frontal cortex and hypothalamus and continue to mask allergic symptoms of caffeine anaphylaxis. Continued stimulant use increases toxic psychosis, which results in decreased affect and deterioration of mental abilities. 

Bottom line: Caffeine sucks the life out of you. 

"SATURATED FATS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO WEIGHT LOSS"

By Michael Ravensthorpe

In 1953, the American scientist Dr. Ancel Keys published a paper linking high saturated fat intake with heart disease in adult men. Though initially met with skepticism, medical societies, and government bodies eventually embraced Keys’s findings, and the era of fat demonization began – much to the joy of processed food manufacturers.

Although most experts now regard Keys’s research as cherry-picked and flawed, its conclusions still influence and direct the purchasing choices of the average consumer. Many people still believe that saturated fats – even when sourced from nutritious whole foods, such as eggs and coconut oil – contribute to weight gain and heart disease, even though the evidence is starting to prove the exact opposite.

SATURATED FATS INCFEASE LDL CHOLESTEROL SIZE

One of the biggest fears people have concerning saturated fats is their alleged ability to raise “bad” low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which is implicated in atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. However, our understanding of cholesterol and its roles in the body are much more sophisticated than they were in the middle of the 20th century.

We now understand, for instance, that only small LDL particles are associated with heart disease, not large LDL particles – and, as it happens, saturated fats are proven to increase amounts of the large subtype of LDL. For example, a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that dietary saturated fat intake correlated with increased concentrations of larger LDL particles in adult men. A later study, published in the same journal, reached a similar conclusion.

SATURATED FATS INCREASE HDL CHOLESTEROL 

Better still, ongoing research suggests that saturated fat can actually increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels, which is the  “good” cholesterol that transports cholesterol from the arteries to the liver for reuse or excretion. Research published in the journal Arteriosclerosis and Thrombosis in 1992, for example, found that “all fatty acids elevated HDL cholesterol when substituted for carbohydrates,” and that these effects “diminished with increasing unsaturation of the fatty acids.” These results suggest that contrary to popular belief, saturated fat intake can actively benefit our cardiovascular health.

SATURATED FATS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO WEIGHT LOSS

Another belief people have about saturated fat is that eating it makes us fat. However, this is only a half-truth. Eating saturated fat will make us fat – if we also eat a diet high in carbohydrates and refined sugars. A high-fat, low-carb paleo, or ketogenic diet, on the other hand, is proven to deliver effective weight loss results. For example, a study published in the journal Nutrition & Metabolism showed that there was “a clear benefit of a [very low-carbohydrate ketogenic] over [low-fat] diet for short-term body weight and fat loss, especially in men.”

Moreover, studies have shown that individual high-fat foods can contribute to weight loss when taken as a supplement. A Brazilian study published in the journalLipids in 2009, for instance, found that women who consumed 30 milliliters of coconut oil daily exhibited a significant reduction in abdominal fat when compared to the control group. This result has been ascribed to coconut oil’s large concentrations of medium-chain triglycerides, a form of saturated fat that our bodies metabolize with unusual rapidity.

CONCLUSION

Clearly, there are many reasons to embrace rather than fear saturated fats. Even mainstream health researchers are beginning to accept the fact that an omelet cooked with butter, for example, is a far healthier breakfast than cereal with skim milk. Many of us probably understood this on an instinctive level while growing up, but it has taken a long time for science to catch with up common sense. Grandma was right all along!

Reprinted from Spiritfoods.

DDT helped saved millions of lives from typhus and malaria. 

I once showed the British documentary, The Great Global Warming Swindle, in an effort to show how global warming, which later got diluted to climate change, was a fraud perpetrated on the world.
I remember back in the 1970s, how scientists thought that the world would experience an ice age. Didn’t happen. But I think it preposterous for anyone to think that the man-made CO2 production in Anchorage, Alaska is having deleterious effects on flora and fauna and people in Sao Paulo, Brazil. I mean the stretches of logic that this movement is asking, no, commanding, people to believe are absurd. The only way this scheme can be sold is to lie about it. That’s what the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the IPCC, has done.
DDT has been suggested as an antidote for the ZIKA virus. Isolated in 1870s, it was first used as an insecticide in 1940s. Wikipedia explains that 

First synthesized in 1874, DDT’s insecticidal action was discovered by the Swiss chemist Paul Hermann Müller in 1939. It was used in the second half of World War II to control malaria and typhus among civilians and troops. After the war, DDT was also used as an agricultural insecticide and its production and use duly increased.[9]Müller was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine “for his discovery of the high efficiency of DDT as a contact poison against several arthropods” in 1948. 

DDT helped saved millions of lives from typhus and malaria. But, according to Rockwell, 

It’t not patentable. It is a proven and amazingly effective material. It is toxic for animals and insects. Less toxic for people than caffeine, aspirin, or sand. One of the many bad things that happened when it was outlawed. Perhaps more than a million people have died from malaria and typhus in Africa and other poor areas where they would not have died. So this is more blood on the hands of the state and more blood on the hands of the environmental movement back when Rachel Carson in 1962 wrote Silent Spring.

Keep reading . . .

CHOLESTEROL REPAIRS BRAIN TISSUE

I don't know all the details involved in why damaged tissue responds so well to cholesterol, but the findings so far are extremely interesting.  My one concern is that if someone begins consuming large amounts or larger amounts of certain kinds of cholesterol, will that produce kidney stones or gallstones? Therein lies at least one caveat.  But it does seem to be the case that a high intake of cholesterol foods is excellent for repairing the brain and other tissue. When we think of the brain, it's important to remember the layers of tissue, the substructure so to speak of the net of neurons and dendrites.  For these to have a place to implant themselves, the brain tissue not only has to be intact but it has to have the necessary building blocks for the nerves, brain tissue, dendrites, myelin sheath, and so forth.  One report on Alzheimer's brain repair says

Cholesterol acts to interlock 'lipid molecules,' which stabilize cell membranes," writes Shane Ellison, M.S., in his book Health Myths Exposed.  "Cholesterol is a vital building block for all bodily tissues.  Lowering such a vital molecule is absurdity.  To illustrate, imagine that your house represents your body and the nails holding it together cholesterol.  Now start pulling each and every nail out of  the houes.  What happens?  The house turns to a pile of rubble.  The same is true for the human body." 

Again, my biggest problem with popular health and nutrition literature is its literacy and wording to the point of absurdity and meaninglessness.  When the above writer offers the analogy of "imagine that your house represents your body and the nails holding it together cholesterol," that is such a terrible analogy because nails don't contain any biological chemistry that interacts with the cells, fluids, or hormones.  It only seems to have the effect of reducing the importance of cholesterol.  It doesn't inspire; it only redirects and diverts meaningful results and conclusions.  It's only when he ends his point by saying "The same is true for the human body" that leaves me only shaking my head.  I've never read such a bad analogy.  I mean that was absolutely bush league, 3rd-grade stuff.  Terrible.  "The same is true for the human body"?  Aside from the appalling lack of high school vocabulary, the logic is missing.  Disappointing.  

Lots of questions.  One, which food that is high in cholesterol should one consume?  Any food high in cholesterol?  Doubtful about that.  Shrimp is high in cholesterol.  Seafood in general has a fortifying effect.  Is this why?  Perhaps.  A nice halibut or salmon fillet will fix people right up.  But is this all?  Or does a person need another supplement with it, say, like Vitamin C or Vitamin B? Do these nutrients exist in some small quantity in a piece of fish, say, from the plankton?  Anyway, cholesterol is necessary, perhaps even vital for tissue repair.  So if you're into contact sports or your son is, be sure to feed him fish.  Regularly.  So that his muscles and organs repair in good fashion.  

So, we know that cholesterol is important for health and strength. Knowing this, how can anyone be on a steady prescription of statins that breaks down cholesterol and the tissues that it supports? 

What this all means for statin drugs, which mainstream medicine has ridiculously dubbed 'miracle drugs,' is that their cholesterol inhibiting properties can cause serious health problems down the road.  By interfering with the liver's natural function of producing cholesterol, statin drugs can actually strip the body of much-needed cholesterol, and cause serious nervous system and cognitive damage.  

CHOLESTEROL & STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY

You would expect the folks at Weston A. Price to defend the use of cholesterol in the repair of the brain or any other tissue in the body. And so they do; in this case, Natasha Campbell-McBride points to the role of structural integrity that cholesterol plays in your body,

First of all, saturated fats and cholesterol make the membranes of the cells firm—without them the cells would become flabby and fluid. If we humans didn’t have cholesterol and saturated fats in the membranes of our cells, we would look like giant worms or slugs. And we are not talking about a few molecules of cholesterol here and there. In many cells, almost half of the cell membrane is made from cholesterol. Different kinds of cells in the body need different amounts of cholesterol, depending on their function and purpose. If the cell is part of a protective barrier, it will have a lot of cholesterol in it to make it strong, sturdy and resistant to any invasion. If a cell or an organelle inside the cell needs to be soft and fluid, it will have less cholesterol in its structure.

This ability of cholesterol and saturated fats to firm up and reinforce the tissues in the body is used by our blood vessels, particularly those that have to withstand the high pressure and turbulence of the blood flow. These are usually large or medium arteries in places where they divide or bend. The flow of blood pounding through these arteries forces them to incorporate a layer of cholesterol and saturated fat in the membranes, which makes it stronger, tougher and more rigid. These layers of cholesterol and fat are called fatty streaks. They are completely normal and form in all of us, starting from birth and sometimes even before we are born. Various indigenous populations around the world, who never suffer from heart disease, have plenty of fatty streaks in their blood vessels in old and young, including children. Fatty streaks are not indicative of the disease called atherosclerosis.  

A couple of good points here.  One, "Different kinds of cells in the body need different amounts of cholesterol, depending on their function and purpose."  That's important.  It's an important defense against the more sweeping "cholesterol is bad for you arguments" that we are used to hearing.  Two, it makes us aware that different organs and tissues in our body use cholesterol differently and in different amounts.  So don't worry about cholesterol.  In fact, cholesterol should be thought of as your friend.  The other point I liked was that cholesterol and saturated fats . . . firm up and reinforce . . . tissues in the body."  That bodes well for repair, don't you think? 

MYELIN: VITAL BRAIN MATTER?

Fascinating stuff. 

One of the most abundant materials in the brain and the rest of our nervous system is a fatty substance called myelin. Myelin coats every nerve cell and every nerve fiber like the insulating cover around electric wires. Apart from insulation, it provides nourishment and protection for every tiny structure in our brain and the rest of the nervous system. People who start losing their myelin develop a condition called multiple sclerosis. Well, 20 percent of myelin is cholesterol. If you start interfering with the body’s ability to produce cholesterol, you put the very structure of the brain and the rest of the nervous system under threat.

The synthesis of myelin in the brain is tightly connected with the synthesis of cholesterol. In my clinical experience, foods with high cholesterol and high animal fat content are an essential medicine for a person with multiple sclerosis. One of the most wonderful abilities we humans are blessed with is the ability to remember things—our human memory. How do we form memories? By our brain cells establishing connections with each other, called synapses. The more healthy synapses a person’s brain can make, the more mentally able and intelligent that person is. Scientists have discovered that synapse formation is almost entirely dependent on cholesterol, which is produced by the brain cells in a form called apolipoprotein E. Without the presence of this factor we cannot form synapses, and hence we would not be able to learn or remember anything. Memory loss is one of the side effects of cholesterol-lowering drugs.

In my clinic, I see growing numbers of people with memory loss who have been taking cholesterol- lowering pills. Dr Duane Graveline, MD, former NASA scientist and astronaut, suffered such memory loss while taking his cholesterol pill. He managed to save his memory by stopping the pill and eating lots of cholesterol-rich foods. Since then he has described his experience in his book, Lipitor: Thief of Memory, Statin Drugs and the Misguided War on Cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol in fresh eggs and other cholesterol-rich foods has been shown in scientific trials to improve memory in the elderly. In my clinical experience, any person with memory loss or learning problems needs to have plenty of these foods every single day in order to recover.

Finding the right foods, and by right I mean healthy foods, that are also high in cholesterol can be a challenge.  I just searched online and the sites that show up early in a Google search were mixed, combining all foods that are high in cholesterol whether good or bad.  For example, I saw chocolate chip cookies and baked muffins in the same article on foods high in cholesterol with beef liver and shellfish, both of which are good for you if your goal is tissue repair.  Not all high-cholesterol foods are created equal.  It also had hamburgers, macaroni and cheese, and fried chicken.  Well, there are benefits and detriments to each food.  I would stay away from the fried chicken, especially commercially fried chicken like Kentucky, Church's, Popeye's, and others.  Chicken fried at home not so bad.  Chicken is good.  You get meat that comes with its own bones.  The nutrients in the bones are good.  Think homemade chicken soup.  

FOODS HIGH IN CHOLESTEROL
1.  Eggs.
2.  Shrimp.
3.  Raw Cow's Butter.
4. 

Functions of Cholesterol

Cholesterol is the mortar used to fortify cell membranes. It provides the stiffness and stability they need to work.

Our hormones are made from cholesterol. Estrogen, testosterone and a host of other hormones necessary for function are produced from cholesterol. Corticosteroids, the hormones that protect the body from stress and protect the functioning of the immune system, are made from cholesterol.

The brain and nervous system depend upon cholesterol for both the creation of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine and their ability to attach to receptors.

Cholesterol is necessary to produce vitamin D–low levels of which have been linked to depression and heart disease.

Bile salts, necessary for the breakdown of carbohydrates, fats, and protein, are created with cholesterol.

Cholesterol helps maintain the intestinal wall, protecting the body from inflammation and exaggerated immune response.

Mother’s breast milk is 60% cholesterol. It is necessary for the development of the infant’s brain and nervous system. Recommendations to limit fat and cholesterol in the diets of young children resulted in increased infant mortality.

Cholesterol is the cavalry of the immune system. When damage and inflammation occur in blood vessels, cholesterol rushes to the site to make repairs and protect membranes. Cholesterol acts as an antioxidant to protect cells and tissue from free radical damage.

Onions:  "quercetin absorption from onions is double that [of] tea and three times that [of] apples."

I have eaten garlic medicinally.  What that means is that whenever I feel sick or anxiety I take a clove of garlic at bed.  I crush the clove so garlic's chemicals can be released and made easier for absorbtion.  The result is spectacular.  My blood vessels get dilated, and the benefits are more energy.  Love it.  And the following day I feel sturdier.  

But sometimes the garlic can work adversely on my stomach.  Still, I know that garlic and other root vegetables or onions, allium vegetables, are good for the heart.  Least that's what I've heard and read.  My dad once told me that he eats onions "because they're good for the heart."  In fact, he used to make his own sandwiches and always add a wedge of onion and a few peppers to it and take that to work. Don't know how he got around the smell at work.  Funny. Remember, too, how on long vacation drives he would wrap up sandwiches and always, always I'd find a wedge of onion wrapped in the tin foil in which he kept his sandwich. So he knew. This is not news.  Just an important reminder. Eat your onions.  Eat them raw. 

A little side note on onions: 

Onions have been cultivated for thousands of years and originated in the Near East and Central Asia. They were grown not only for use in cooking, but for their antiseptic qualities. In Egypt, onions were used in mummification. The most familiar allium is the common, or bulb, onion of the species Allium cepa, which may have a yellow, white, red, or purple skin. While onions may be fresh, they are most commonly purchased dried. Fresh, also called “sweet”, onions have a milder taste. Dry, also called “storage,” onions, have a stronger flavor. Dry onions have thick, paper-like skins. The vast majority of onions purchased at the supermarket are yellow storage onions. Pungent yellow onions are the best “keepers” and are great additions to soups and stews, while red onions are very sweet, but a poor choice for long-term storage. Red onions are good sliced and eaten raw in salads or sandwiches, or for topping a veggie burger. Common mild onions include Bermuda and Spanish varieties. Pearl onions -- which are most often white -- are the tiniest of the bulb onions, and are the top choice for boiling or pickling.  

WHY ARE ONIONS GOOD FOR YOU?

In a word, quercetin.  Quercetin is a flavonoid, chemicals that give the fruit or vegetable its flavor.  Onions are also a disease-fighting food.  Dr. Joseph Mercola explains that 

Quercetin is a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties that may help fight chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer.  In lab studies, quercetin was shown to prevent histamine release (histaminese are the chemicals that cause allergic reactions.  This makes quercetin-rich foods like onions "natural anti-histamines."  

I knew that apples and onions contained quercetin; I just didn't know the extent of quercetin's benefits.  I mean almost since the term anti-oxidants gained traction in the public discourse, that seems that that's all we hear about.  But anti-oxidants are not created equal, nor do they function equally. 

Mercola adds that 

While apples and tea also contain quercetin, onions appear to be a particularly good source.  Research from Wageningen Agricultural University in the Netherlands showed quercetin absorption from onions is double that from tea and three times that from apples.

Research from the University also showed consuming onions leads to increased quercetin concentrations in the blood.  As reported by The World's Healthiest Foods

". . . On an ounce-for-ounce basis, onions rank in the top of commonly eaten vegetables in their quercetin content.  The flavonoid content of onions can vary widely, depending on the exact variety and growing conditions.

Although the average onion is likely to contain less than 100 milligrams of quercetin per 3-1/2 ounces, some onions do provide this amount.  

And while 100 milligrams may not sound like a lot, in the United States, moderate vegetable eaters average only twice this amount for all flavonoids (not just quercetin) from all vegetables per day." 

ONIONS or QUERCETIN SUPPLEMENTS?

Mercola answers this question too.  In the context of concentration, it is hard to beat food remedies.  

Quercetin is available in supplement form, but there are a couple of reasons why getting this flavonoid from onions makes more sense.  

*  One animal study found that animals received greater protection against oxidative stress when they consumed yellow onion in their diet as opposed to consuming quercetin extracts.  

*  Quercetin is not degraded by low-heat cooking, such as simmering.  When preparing a soup with onions, the quercetin will be transferred into the brother of the soup, making onion soup an easy-to-make superfood.  

Good to know.  

I started eating more onions, raw, to address some digestion discomfort.  Turns out that onions are really good for the colon.

Organosulfur compounds [in onions] such as diallyl disulfide (DDS), S-allylcysteine (SAC), and S-methylcysteine (SMC) have been shown to inhibit colon and renal carcinogenesis.  

That has to sit well with almost every reader even those who don't like onions.  

Onions contain sulfur, too, as you know.  And Mercola explains its benefits when you consume onions.  

The sulfur compounds in onions, for instance, are thought to have anti-clotting properties as well as help to lower cholesterol and triglycerides.  The allium and allyl disulphide in onions have also been found to decrease blood vessel stiffness by releasing nitric oxide.  

I have first-hand experience with that.  He adds that . . .  

This may reduce blood pressure (always a good thing, no?) inhibit platelet clot formation and help decrease the risk of coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular diseases and stroke. [Amazing!]  The quercetin in onions is also beneficial, offering both anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that may boost heart health.  

All I can say is wow.