As the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, diabetes is a disease that plagues the lives of millions every day. Diabetes and high blood sugar levels alone cause up to 4 million deaths annually. Especially in Korea, where obesity, smoking, drinking, and a lack of exercise is at an all-time high, diabetes is a huge problem. It is said that nearly 1 of 7 Korean adults suffer from diabetes today. At a time when our quality of life is at risk, it has become increasingly important for us to look deeper into diabetes and explore possible ways that could help us treat and manage its effects.

Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood sugar levels are too high. Regularly, your body produces an essential hormone called insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps your body process glucose by giving them to cells and supplying energy. Whenever a human body consumes food, the carbohydrates and sugars in food break down into glucose and pass into the bloodstream. As a response, the human body, specifically the pancreas, will start to secrete insulin to manage the rise of sugar levels in your blood. Diabetes is a condition that prevents the body from producing enough insulin. Without insulin, glucose stays in your blood, damaging your eyes, kidneys, and nerves. Without treatment, diabetes could develop into heart diseases, strokes, and even heart failure.

Nowadays, many medical blood tests such as the A1C show your blood sugar levels. Besides, treatment is not so far away as exercise, weight control, and a healthy, proper diet can help manage diabetes. Furthermore, medications such as OHC (Oral Hypoglycemic Agents) that reduce glucose levels in the blood and insulin treatment are available for diabetes patients that require immediate care.

Yet, diabetes rates are at an all-time high. The number of people with diabetes quadrupled for the past 40 years. While diabetes commonly surfaces in one’s later years in their 50s and 60s, the prevalence of diabetes among young adults is also steadily on the rise. With skyrocketing medical bills and many not being able to afford medical insurance, 1 out of 10 diabetes patients are still not able to receive proper treatment.

While this pandemic may seem grim, the answer may be closer than you think. One solution to this problem is far from the expected: onions. Onions contain tens of thousands of components that are healthy for your body. A few of these components specifically can be utilized to introduce a diet that can lower blood sugar levels. Some components like ACSOs and Propanethiol could be extracted from onions using methods like grinding and high-pressure extraction. Using these extractions, we can make medication, health products, and even food. Potentially, we could even introduce diets that normally should be avoided. For instance, we could extract the onions' healthy capabilities using a compatible oil like grape seed oil. From this, diabetes patients easily make a blood sugar reducing agent out of something in their kitchen counter. While it may be difficult to efficiently mass-produce such products, steadily with new technology, a world free of diabetes may not be too far away.

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