title: The effects of onion consumption on treatment of metabolic, histologic, and inflammatory features of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of onion powder consumption on treatment of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) in an experimental model of disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sprague-Dawley rats were fed high-fat (HF) diet for seven weeks to induce the NAFLD. Then, they were treated by either the same diet (HF), or high-fat diet plus 7 % onion powder (HF + onion), or chow diet (control), or chow diet plus 7 % onion powder (control + onion)ad libitum for four weeks. Serum levels of fasting glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol, liver enzymes, insulin, and hepatic tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) gene expression were determined. Hepatic histology was examined by Hematoxylin and Eosin stain.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Dietary food intakes and weigh gain were significantly more in animals fed control + onion diet in comparison to the other groups. Animals fed control or control + onion diet had significantly lower plasma levels of hepatic enzymes, lipid profile, glycemic indices, and hepatic TNF-α gene expression as compared with HF diet fed groups; however, there was no significant difference in the histopathologic features of NAFLD among different groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that onion consumption can be effective in NAFLD management when it is combined with a healthy diet.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hadi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Emamat
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Taleghani Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Forough
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Foroughi
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hassan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Eini-Zinab
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Biochemistry and Nutrition in Metabolic Diseases, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taghizadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Marjan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rismanchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Azita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hekmatdoost
keywords: Body weight; Experimental model; Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; Onion; Quercetin; Treatment