Glycemic Index of Date Cultivars and Date-based Products

King Saud University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Glycaemic Response Measurements

Treatments: Other: Date Cultivars and Date-based Products

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07286981

24/1428

Details and patient eligibility

About

Dates are widely consumed worldwide and hold substantial cultural importance in many Middle Eastern communities. Despite growing interest in measuring the glycemic response and glycemic index of foods for both research and practical applications, studies examining the glycemic properties of different date cultivars and their derived products remain limited. This study aims to determine the glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) of commonly consumed Saudi date cultivars and their derived products in healthy subjects, and to evaluate their potential impact on postprandial glucose responses. The study will consist of 4 phases as follows: phase 1: Date varieties at Tamer stage; phase 2: date varieties at Rutab stage; phase 3: Date's debs; phase 4: Date's paste. For each phase, ten subjects will be asked to attend the laboratory in the morning after an overnight fast on several occasions. Each visit will be separated from the next by a "washout" day. The reference food, 50 g of glucose dissolve in 250 ml water will be tested on 3 alternating days to diminish day to day variation of glucose tolerance. 50g equivalent carbohydrates of dates will be consumed with 250 ml of water. Participants will be blinded to the type of the dates. Glucose will be measured in capillary blood samples following the two hours of the test meal consumption, at 15 min interval (0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 min) . A qualified technician will perform all blood glucose measurements.

Enrollment: 40 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 55 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Healthy adults aged 18 to 55 years
• Normotensive (normal blood pressure)
• Normal fasting glucose levels
• Not taking any prescription medication
• Able and willing to provide written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• Morbid obesity (BMI > 40 kg/m²)
• Pre-diabetic status
• Pregnancy
• Any gastrointestinal disorders
• History of gastroenteritis within the preceding six months
• Previous gastrointestinal surgeries
• Smoking
• Presence of chronic conditions (e.g., asthma, rheumatoid arthritis)
• Presence of acute illnesses (e.g., respiratory or urinary tract infections)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

---

40 participants in 1 patient group

Single Group - Crossover Consumption of Date Products and Glucose Reference

Experimental group

Description:

All participants will receive the glucose reference solution on three separate occasions and will consume the date or date-based product in individual sessions. Participants serve as their own control in a crossover design. Capillary blood glucose will be measured at several time points (0-120 minutes) after consumption to assess the glycemic index and load for each product.

Treatment:

Other: Date Cultivars and Date-based Products