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Shallots, apart from being a food flavoring, are also beneficial for the body, especially for health. Onions are also cultivated almost all over the world in various varieties.
Shallots are also useful for preventing type 2 diabetes. This is a chronic condition in which the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or the insulin it produces is not absorbed by the cells, also known as insulin resistance. As a result, blood sugar can rise and threaten to cause permanent damage to the body.
Fortunately, there are now effective countermeasures. According to findings presented at the 97th annual meeting of The Endocrine Society in San Diego, California, United States (USA), onion extract can help reduce high blood glucose levels and total cholesterol levels in diabetic rats when given antidiabetic drugs. metformin.
"Onions are very easy to find anywhere and have been used as a nutritional supplement, and it has the potential to be used in treating patients with diabetes," said lead researcher Anthony Ojieh of Delta State University in Abraka, Nigeria, as quoted from the Express page, Monday. 29/8/2022).
Allium cepa was also reported to lower total cholesterol levels in diabetic rats, with two larger doses having the greatest effect. Shallot extract caused an increase in mean body weight among nondiabetic rats but not in diabetic rats.
Ojieh said onions are not high in calories. Onions seem to increase the metabolic rate, and thereby increase appetite which leads to increased eating. "We need to investigate the mechanism of onion that causes a decrease in blood glucose. We don't have an explanation yet," he said.
The onion extract used in the experiment was obtained from onion bulbs available in the local market. If these are administered to humans, they will usually be purified so that only the active ingredients will be measured for adequate doses.
This study follows a study conducted at the University of Madrid, Spain, in 2011. Researchers concluded that onion peel may provide protective benefits for people with type 2 diabetes.
The study, which also involved scientists from Cranfield University in the UK, found that the brown skin and outer layer of onions contain fiber and flavonoids. Meanwhile, the tubers contain sulfur compounds and fructans.
Research shows that because the brown skin of the onion contains high dietary fiber, it can be used as a functional ingredient. Then, the two outer fleshy layers also contain fiber and flavonoids and have a high antioxidant capacity.