Onions and testosterone. Do onions really boost testosterone? It’s a claim that you hear time and
time again on tiktok, but how true really is that? In this video, we will look at all the
possible ways that onions could boost testosterone and also 3 things that you want to consider before
trying out onions, and if you already eat onions regularly, here is more information on them, and
what may surprise you, is that they arent suited for everyone,, and it’s important that you know
both the pros and cons without any of the fluff. If you guys are new here, this channel is all
about helping you make informed decisions as well as be in the know when it comes to your
health and wellness, and I would love for you all to gently tap on that like button down below,
and if you really like the content, then consider subscribing as well. Now without
wasting any more time, lets get straight into it. Onions, otherwise known as Allium cepa are one of
the most popular root vegetables, and are loaded with a ton of vitamins and minerals, which you can
look at here, as well as all the macros, and an interesting compound, which ill come to in a bit.
In fact, according to the The National Onion Association, Per capita onion consumption has
risen over 70 percent in the last two decades, from 12.2 pounds per person in 1982 to just
over 20 pounds per person in 2018. And dont be surprised if that number continues, thanks to
all the new tiktok trends. And don’t get me wrong, onions can be a great addition to your diet. And
personally I like them because of 2 major reasons. One: They got great sulfur-containing compounds 2:
they got antioxidants: a big one known as quercetin, and quercetin has been studied
time and time again for: lowering inflammation, lowering blood pressure, and supporting blood
sugar control. But for testosterone? Its an excellent question to be asking. And There isn't
a lot of human studies as I would like, because a lot of the studies have been done on male rats,
with the exception of one done on healthy men, but let me break down the 3 roadmaps as to why
it has been postulated and frequented so much on social media and where I think the research
will go in the future. And then afterwards, ill tell you about the 3 reasons why you should think
twice about onions, which many others have glossed over, so that we get a full picture,
which this channel is all about. Starting with the first one: onions effects on LH or whats known as
leutinizing hormone. You see, testosterone is mainly synthesized in Leydig cells in males,
and the ovaries and adrenal glands in females. And when we look at the leydig cell, the amount of the
produced testosterone in this cell is under the control of LH. And The formed testosterone in the
leydig cell is then transported to Sertoli cells in the testis to enhance sperm production. So if
LH is responsible for the amount of testosterone, how do onions play a role, well it turns out,
in the animal study, onions have a positive impact on production of luteinizing hormone,
and the positive effect of onion on testosterone is attributed back to the increased level of LH.
So thats the first roadmap, onions increasing LH, increasing leydig cell production of testosterone.
Lets look at the second. And this is where it gets interesting. Onions effects on nitric oxide. It is
well-documented that a decrease in blood flow to the testis reduces the synthesis of testosterone.
So to work around that, how do we increase the blood flow, especially with onions? Well it
turns out onions positively affect nitric oxide, which is a free radical gas that is produced by
nitric oxide synthase, what it does is, it acts as a vasodilator, opening up the blood vessels,
increasing blood flow in the testis and promotes testosterone synthesis. And not to forget to
mention the critical role nitric oxide has for blood vessels around the body in general. Take
a look at this visual here, the more nitric oxide you have the easier your blood is to flow through,
but overtime as inflammation and arterial plaque buildup, the less nitric oxide can help ease the
way for your blood to flow through. And lastly, the effects of onions on 5 AMP activated protein
kinase. ANd think of this as your cells master switch. It plays a ton of roles in the body.
From fatty acid oxidation, to helping make sure sugar in the blood is stored correctly, all the
way to producing testosterone in the testes. And what makes onions so unique is its high amounts
of quercetin. And quercetin is what activates this important protein kinase. Although more research
is needed on this to come to a more thorough conclusion, since a lot of observation has been in
animal models, what we do know is that quercetin is studied for its uses in supporting the heart,
circulation, prostate health, and exercise recovery. And if youre wondering which onion has
the most quercetin. Its going to be the chartreuse onion. Which has a more yellowish glow than your
typical yellow onion. So now that we got the 3 main ways onions have been touted for boosting
testosterone. I want to leave you with 3 reasons why you probably should skip onions. The first is:
if you have IBS or irritable bowel syndrome. This is because onions are whats considered a fodmap,
because they are a fructan which is a type of oligosaccharide, which stands for the O in fodmap,
that can make your symptoms of IBS worse, anywhere from Abdominal pain, cramping or bloating. So here
is a trick to work around that. Green onion, youve seen them before, the tops are lower in fodmaps
than the bottoms, so use the tops of them instead if you cant give them up. Because onions are too
good to give up completely, am i right? The second is: it can make your heartburn worse if you suffer
from heartburns. Not everyone has trouble with it. But if youve cut out fried foods, spicy,
and citrusy foods, and still have heartburn. Consider if onions could be a culprit. Since
Not a lot of people know this. But the fermentable fiber in the onion called fructooligosaccharides,
can relax the lower esophageal sphincter, and when that is relaxed, acid has an easier time to
come make its way back up and increase reflux. And lastly, this may not impact you directly,
but if you are a pet owner of a cat, dog, horse, or even a monkey. Keep your pets away from onions.
The sulfoxides in the onions, can cause the Heinz body anemia disease which affects your
pets red blood cells. And remember just because a food maybe healthy for a human, they arent
always healthy for your pet. In the meantime though, if you dont struggle from eating onions,
there is no reason to stop eating them. And if your looking on more ways to increase testosterone
from your diet, then check out the video I made on pomegranates to the left right here.
I would love to hear your thoughts down below and in the meantime,
Click the subscribe button if you found any value in this and ill see you on the next one.