Onions are found in most cuisines across the world. They’re cheap, they have a good shelf life and they grow year-round. About 6.75 billion pounds of onion are produced each year just in the United States, according to Colorado State University’s food source database, and global production reaches as high as 105 billion pounds per year. You probably have onions in your pantry, and they could even be in the food you are eating right now.
But did you know onions may make a large portion of the population feel sick?
Yes, the onion and its relatives (chives, shallots and even garlic) can cause a wide range of symptoms including gastrointestinal distress, migraines and, though rare, anaphylactic shock. And yet onions are found everywhere. U.S. consumption has grown 70% since 1982, according to the National Onion Association.
But for some people, onions can be part of a recipe for disaster. For patients with irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, onions are “one thing most of our patients can’t tolerate,” said Dr. Jane Muir, associate professor and head of translational nutrition science at Monash University. Onions and garlic are high in fructan, a carbohydrate found in many fruits and vegetables that many people cannot digest well and can cause bloating or diarrhoea. The Cleveland Clinic estimates that 10% to 15% U.S. adults have IBS, so that’s a lot of folks who may have issues with onion and garlic.
Some people may even have an allergic response to onion, but that is far rarer. In a patient registry maintained by the organisation Food Allergy Research and Education, “139 of 11,411 individuals (or 1.2%) self-report as having an onion allergy,” saidDr. Bruce Roberts, chief research strategy and innovation officer at FARE. While you have to take the numbers with a grain of salt since they are self-reported, a 2020 Spanish study of garlic and onions had similar results, with 1.1% of people reporting an onion and garlic allergy.
While it may be a rare allergy, it is more common as a food intolerance. “Onion and garlic are common [food intolerances] that I definitely hear” from patients, said Dr. Kara Wada, assistant clinical professor in allergy and immunology at Ohio State University. The other two common categories of food intolerances that she........