Not many people know that dates are super-fruits with truly unique qualities. Curious to learn more? The following article summarizes the conclusions of a fascinating research paper published in 2020, which highlights some of the positive benefits of the super-fruits that more and more people are falling in love with.
Research* conducted in 2020 by researchers from the University of Bahrain, Arabian Gulf University and the University of Pavia in Italy discovered that individuals with pre and type 2 diabetes who eat three dates on a daily basis benefit from an improved lipid profile – including lower total cholesterol levels – while their glucose levels remain unaffected.
The researchers’ aim was to obtain a better understanding of the effects of daily date consumption (three dates every day) on individuals with pre and type 2 diabetes. They enlisted 100 adult subjects with pre and type 2 diabetes (T2DM), who agreed to participate in a randomized controlled trial for the duration of 16 weeks. During the aforementioned time period, one group was asked to consume three dates daily, while the other group, which acted as research control, avoided date consumption altogether.
The findings are great news for date lovers. According to the research, consuming three dates on a daily basis did not impact the subjects’ glucose levels due to the dates’ low glycemic index. This is an important finding since dates are very sweet. The research could not find any evidence that would caution individuals with diabetes from consuming dates in moderate levels.
In addition, the research discovered that subjects who consumed dates for 16 weeks experienced a significant reduction in total cholesterol and an increase in HDL (the "good" cholesterol). The research found that date consumption did not impact body max index (BMI) – possibly due to the dates’ high polyphenol content. The researchers also pointed out that other researches did not find a connection between any weight gain/change and moderate regular date consumption.
*Alalwan, T.; Perna, S.; Mandeel, Q; Abdulhadi, A; Alsayyad, A.; D’Antona, G.; Negro, M.; Riva, A.; Petrangolini, G.; Allegrini, P.; and Rondanelli, M.; Effects of Daily Low-Dose Date Consumption on Glycemic Control, Lipid Profile, and Quality of Life in Adults with Pre- and Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients, 2020, 12, 217.
