Onions, garlic and a range of other salad goods may help reduce the risk of osteoporosis - the crippling bone disease that affects one in three women, usually after the menopause. The claim comes from researchers at the University of Bern in Switzerland who conducted experiments on rats. They said that 1g of onion a day can help prevent the process that causes the condition - resorption, where calcium seeps from the bones making them brittle. And 500mg mixed with garlic, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, rocket and parsley had a similar result. Rats fared well On a diet of onions the rats developed stronger bones and suffered less resorption, and the onions' effect on bones could be seen within 12 hours, the scientists said.
Osteoporosis can cause the spine to bend and makes bones more likely to break.
Estimates put the cost of the disease to NHS somewhere between 600m and 1bn, although it is difficult to quantify as sufferers will often need special care as well as immediate treatment for fractures. Specialists fear costs could rocket as the more people live longer and eat less calcium, which builds bones. The next stage for the researchers is to identify which compounds in the onions has the positive effect, and to see if it will work in humans. Earlier this month, doctors at London's St George's Hospital linked eating too much salt with the disease. They said that eating too much salt can raise the blood pressure and that this, in turn, speeds up the body's loss of calcium that could then lead to osteoporosis.