The consumption of date palm fruits as a source of bioactive compounds in patients with type 2 diabetes: a cross sectional study

It is commonly believed by the public and health care providers that patients with diabetes should restrain or even avoid consumption of date palm fruits (DPFs). However, DPFs are a good source of nutritive and non-nutritive bio-active compounds. This study aimed to assess the nutritive and non-nutritive bio-active compounds of consumed DPFs and examine their relationship with glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) using oral anti-diabetic medications (n=199) and insulin treatments (n=205). Blood glucose levels (fasting and random), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol, high-density lipo protein, low-density lipo protein, and triglycerides were retrieved from the medical records of the patients. Date palm fruit consumption was assessed, and the bio-active compound indices of consumed DPFs were calculated. The results revealed that the consumption of DPFs was higher in patients with oral medications than in those on insulin treatments, but the difference was not significant. The bio-active compound content of the consumed DPFs ranged from 4.80±0.18 g day^‑1 for non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs) to 178±6.83 µg day^‑1 for selenium. However, the selenium index (273%) was the highest bio-active compound index in the consumed DPFs, followed by NSP and phenolic indices (20%). Moreover, this study has detected a weak but significant correlation between the level of bio-active compounds of consumed DPFs and HbA1c levels among patients with T2DM. In conclusion, the study has revealed that the bio-active compound content of DPFs is negatively associated with lower HbA1c levels among patients with T2DM. An intervention trial is required to support this finding.