Onion skins can help reduce risk of diabetes, says study

Mon, 18 Jul 2011
Onion skins have now joined the list of things that could offer potential benefits for people with from type 2 diabetes, after scientists in Spain announced the findings from a study into the substances and possible uses of each part of the onion and their possible health benefits on a variety of conditions.

The study, at the University of Madrid and which also involved scientists from Cranfield University in the UK, and which was published in the journal Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, found that the brown skin and external layers of onions contain useful amounts of fibre and flavonoids, and that the bulbs contain sulphurous compounds and fructans.

The research showed that because the brown skin of the onion was high in dietary fibre it could be used as a functional ingredient, and that two outer fleshy layers also contain fibre and flavonoids, and have a high antioxidant capacity.

Researcher Vanesa Benitez commented "One solution could be to use onion waste as a natural source of ingredients with high functional value, because this vegetable is rich in compounds that provide benefits for human health."

She added "Eating fibre reduces the risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal complaints, colon cancer, type 2 diabetes and obesity."
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