While type 2 diabetes cannot be cured or reversed, there are many ways to manage the condition – which include taking medication to regulate your blood sugar levels. However, according to doctors, you also need to bring about changes in your lifestyle which include regular exercise and eating a healthy diet. A groundbreaking study has discovered that a common vegetable could help slash high blood sugar levels by up to half.
You may get Type 2 diabetes when your pancreas fails to produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugar levels - or the body's cells do not utilize the insulin produced. How do onions keep blood sugar levels down Insulin is vital for controlling blood sugar - the main type of sugar found in our blood. Without this control, blood sugar levels can soar to perilous heights.
And so, with the hope of finding a permanent solution, researchers from the Delta State University in Nigeria have unveiled that extract from onion bulbs – known as Allium cepa, significantly lowered high blood glucose in diabetic rats when given alongside the anti-diabetic drug metformin. "Onion is cheap and readily available and has been used as a nutritional supplement," said lead investigator Dr. Anthony Ojieh from Delta State University in Abraka, Nigeria.
"It holds potential for use in treating patients with diabetes," he added. How was the study conducted? According to Dr. Ojieh, the research team gave metformin and varying doses of onion extract - 200mg, 400mg, and 600mg per kil.
