Type 2 diabetes, a condition characterised by fluctuating blood sugar levels, can wreak havoc on the body. However, making smart dietary choices can help manage these levels. A groundbreaking study has discovered that a common vegetable could slash high blood sugar levels by up to half.
Type 2 diabetes arises when the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugar levels, or the body's cells don't effectively utilise the insulin produced. 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.
Fortunately, an effective solution may be closer than we think. Research unveiled at The Endocrine Society's 97th annual meeting in San Diego showed that extract from onion bulbs, Allium cepa, significantly lowered high blood glucose (sugar) in diabetic rats when given alongside the anti-diabetic drug metformin, reports Surrey Live. "Onion is cheap and readily available and has been used as a nutritional supplement," said lead investigator Anthony Ojieh, MBBS (MD), MSc, from Delta State University in Abraka, Nigeria.
"It holds potential for use in treating patients with diabetes." Mr Ojieh and his team gave metformin and varying doses of onion extract - 200mg, 400mg and 600mg per kilograms of body weight daily - to three groups of rats with medically induced diabetes to see if it would boost the drug's effects. The study involved giving metformin and onion extract t.
