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A recent study has unveiled promising news for the millions of Nigerians grappling with diabetes.
Research indicates that incorporating onions into the diet may significantly reduce blood sugar levels in individuals with type 2 diabetes, potentially lowering them by as much as 50%.
The study was presented at The Endocrine Society’s 97th annual meeting in San Diego.
“Onion is cheap and available and has been used as a nutritional supplement,” said lead investigator Anthony Ojieh, MBBS (MD), MSc, of Delta State University in Abraka, Nigeria.
“It has the potential for use in treating patients with diabetes.”
The extract of onion bulb, Allium cepa, strongly lowered high blood glucose (sugar) and total cholesterol levels in diabetic rats when given the antidiabetic drug metformin.
Research highlights and findings
In the study, diabetic rats were divided into groups and administered metformin alone, metformin with various doses of onion extract, or neither.
To three groups of rats with medically induced diabetes, Ojieh and his colleagues gave metformin and varying doses of onion extract–200, 400 and 600 milligrams per kilograms of body weight daily (mg/kg/day)–to see if it would enhance the drug’s effects.
They also gave metformin and onion extract to three groups of nondiabetic rats with normal blood sugar, for comparison.
Two control groups, one nondiabetic and one diabetic, received neither metformin nor onion extract.
Another two groups (one with diabetes, one without) received only metformin and no onion extract. Each group contained five rats.
Two doses of onion extract, 400 and 600 mg/kg/day, strongly reduced fasting blood sugar levels in diabetic rats by 50 per cent and 35 percent, respectively, compared with “baseline” levels at the start of the study before the rodents received onion extract, Ojieh reported.
Allium cepa also reportedly lowered the total cholesterol level in diabetic rats, with the two larger doses again having the greatest effects.
Onion extract led to an increase in average weight among nondiabetic rats but not diabetic rats.
“Onion is not high in calories,” Ojieh said. “However, it seems to increase the metabolic rate and, with that, to increase the appetite, leading to an increase in feeding.” Histologic study of the pancreas removed from each diabetic rat showed that neither metformin nor onion extract healed the damage that resulted from the drug-caused diabetes.
“We need to investigate the mechanism by which onion brought about the blood glucose reduction,” Ojieh said.
“We do not yet have an explanation.”
The onion extract used for the experiment was a crude preparation from the onion bulb, which is available in the local market. If this were to be administered to humans, it would usually be purified so that only the active ingredients would be quantified for adequate dosing, Ojieh said.
What You Should Know
However, Nigeria faces a rising prevalence of diabetes, The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates diabetes in Nigeria to be 4.3% incorporating findings from studies like Ojieh’s could inform public health strategies aimed at prevention and management.
Ojieh’s study holds significant promise for Nigeria, by providing a cost-effective, accessible supplement to traditional diabetes treatments, onion extract could play a pivotal role in improving health outcomes for the millions living with diabetes.
Educating the public about the potential benefits of onion extract could lead to increased awareness and usage, contributing to better diabetes control at the community level.
Further exploration of this natural remedy may lead to enhanced management strategies and greater overall health in the population.
