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01661.txt
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1994-01-17
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$Unique_ID{BRK01661}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{What Ingredient in Onions Causes Tears and Heartburn?}
$Subject{indigestion tearing onions Digestive System Tears Heartburn eating
stomach syn-propanethial S-oxide eyes gastroesophageal reflux esophagus
cooking onion eat eye Tear esophageal cook food foods diet diets}
$Volume{I-26}
$Log{}
Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
What Ingredient in Onions Causes Tears and Heartburn?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUESTION: I love onions, although they do not love me. The joy of using them
in my cooking is no payment for the tremendous amount of heartburn I get after
eating them. However, my family enjoys them and so I use them. As I was
cutting up some onions, I really started to tear, and began to wonder if the
same thing was going on inside my stomach. What is the ingredient in onions
that causes these problems?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANSWER: An interesting question! No, the substance that causes tearing does
not seem to be the same one that causes that terrible burning in your stomach.
The chemical that has been identified as the one that causes tearing is called
"syn-propanethial S-oxide", certainly enough to bring the tears to anyone's
eyes. However the heartburn caused by onions occurs in individuals who are
prone to a problem called "gastroesophageal reflux". The burning occurs when
the highly acidic contents of the stomach flow backward into the lower portion
of the esophagus, where irritation of the tissues occurs, causing the burning.
It seems that in patients with this disease, onions may be the cause for an
increase in symptoms. People who do not have reflux problems can eat onions
as they wish, although they too will tear when preparing onions for cooking.
----------------
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.