Type 2 diabetes, which raises blood sugar, affects 1 in 10 people over 40. One vegetable can help manage diabetes by halving blood sugar.
People with Type 2 diabetes have high blood sugar because their pancreas can't make enough insulin.
In 2015, research presented at The Endocrine Society's 97th annual meeting in San Diego indicated that onion bulb extract can "significantly decrease" blood sugar and cholesterol when combined with metformin.
Dr. Anthony Ojieh from Delta State University in Abraka, Nigeria, said at the time, "Onion is cheap and plentiful. This could treat diabetes.
The idea was tested on rats. Three groups of diabetic rats were given varied amounts of onion extract to test its efficiency.
200 mg, 400 mg, and 600 mg dosages were available, based on kg. Researchers also gave the medicine and onion to three healthy rats with normal blood sugar.
400 and 600 milligrammes per kilogramme of body weight "substantially decreased" diabetic rats' blood sugar by 50 and 35%, respectively.
400mg and 600mg onion extract reduced total cholesterol in diabetic rats. Onion extract made non-diabetic rats gain weight.
According to Ojieh, onions have very few calories. But it appears to boost metabolism and, in turn, hunger, leading to more frequent and larger meals.