In individuals with type 2 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to manage blood sugar, resulting in a dangerously high level.

Eating fewer meals like white carbohydrates, which break down into glucose molecules fast, and opting instead for foods with a low glycemic value has been shown to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and its associated complications.

In a breakthrough in the treatment of diabetes, researchers have identified a common vegetable with the ability to reduce blood sugar levels by half.

When combined with metformin, an important element in some diabetes medications, onion extract dramatically reduces high blood sugar and total cholesterol levels, according to research presented at the 97th Annual Meeting of The Endocrine Society in San Diego.

Dr. Anthony Ojieh, the study’s primary author from the Institute of Education Delta State University Abraka, Nigeria, noted that onions are readily available, reasonably priced, and have been utilized as a dietary supplement. They might be used to treat diabetes.

Rats were used to test this theory. To see if it might improve the drug’s effectiveness, three groups of diabetic rats received various amounts of onion extract.

Doses were set at 200, 400, and 600 mg per kilogram of body weight. Three groups of non-diabetic rats with normal blood sugar received the medication as well as an onion from the researchers.

The study discovered that diabetic rats given 400 mg and 600 mg of onion extract per kilogram of body weight significantly reduced blood sugar levels by 50 and 35%, respectively, when compared to baseline.

The study also discovered that the onion extract caused weight growth in non-diabetic rats but not diabetic animals.

Ojieh noted that although onions are low in calories, it appears that they speed up metabolism, which in turn enhances appetite and causes people to eat more.

“These interesting findings in rats,” according to Ojieh, “cannot be ignored totally and the study should be replicated in humans through clinical trials. And that too it must be tested separately on Indians who have traditionally lived on onions.”

Since the reasons why the extract was able to lower blood glucose are unknown, more study is required.

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