{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,9]],"date-time":"2026-10-09T23:38:34Z","timestamp":1791589114599,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,1,15]],"date-time":"2020-01-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1579046400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Dates have a low glycemic index and are a source of antioxidants but, nevertheless, contain more than 70% sugar. This study aims to assess the effects of date consumption (three dates daily) on glycemic profile (HbA1c), body mass index (BMI), quality of life, and lipid profile, including total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in terms of safety for type 2 diabetic mellitus (T2DM) subjects. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with a sample of 100 T2DM subjects (39 male and 61 female) randomly assigned in two groups. The first group received three dates daily for 16 weeks, and the control group avoided date consumption. After a 16-week follow-up period, the study results showed an improvement of lipid profile with a statistically significant decrease in total cholesterol of \u2206 = \u22120.209 mmol\/L (confidence interval (CI) 95% \u22120.358, \u22120.059; p &lt; 0.05) and in LDL of \u2206 = \u22120.171 mmol\/L (CI 95% \u22120.358, 0.016) in the group receiving three dates daily. Intra-group mean differences of BMI were not statistically different in both groups after 16 weeks of date consumption. Even HbA1c did not change, both within and between groups after date consumption (\u2206 = 0.087%; CI 95% \u22120.086, 0.261). Between groups, mean difference changes (intervention minus control) showed a statistically significant improvement of quality of life index of \u2206 = \u00b1 30.66 points (CI 95% 12.45, 48.23) due to the consequent improvement in mental health. Although the definitive effect of dose\/intake response of date consumption on Hb1Ac, lipid profile, and BMI in T2DM subjects is still to be established, the study suggests that dates could potentially have a beneficial effect on lipid profile, especially in reducing total cholesterol and elevating HDL, because of its high polyphenolic content. In addition, a low\u2013moderate consumption of dates did not impact glucose levels because of dates\u2019 low glycemic index.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu12010217","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,1,15]],"date-time":"2020-01-15T10:30:27Z","timestamp":1579084227000},"page":"217","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":42,"title":["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"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7693-4542","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tariq A.","family":"Alalwan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Bahrain, P.O. Box 32038, Sakhir, Bahrain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2720-1473","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Simone","family":"Perna","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Bahrain, P.O. Box 32038, Sakhir, Bahrain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Qaher A.","family":"Mandeel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Bahrain, P.O. Box 32038, Sakhir, Bahrain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aalaa","family":"Abdulhadi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Bahrain, P.O. Box 32038, Sakhir, Bahrain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Adel Salman","family":"Alsayyad","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Public Health Directorate, Ministry of Health, Manama, Bahrain"},{"name":"Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Giuseppe","family":"D\u2019Antona","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CRIAMS-Sport Medicine Centre, University of Pavia, 27058 Voghera, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9159-9287","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Massimo","family":"Negro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CRIAMS-Sport Medicine Centre, University of Pavia, 27058 Voghera, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Antonella","family":"Riva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research and Development Department, Indena SpA, 20139 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6681-7329","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giovanna","family":"Petrangolini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research and Development Department, Indena SpA, 20139 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pietro","family":"Allegrini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research and Development Department, Indena SpA, 20139 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8336-4851","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mariangela","family":"Rondanelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IRCCS Mondino Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, Unit of Human and Clinical Nutrition, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,1,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"102","article-title":"Physicochemical Composition of Date Fruit (Phoenix dactyifera L.) from Offshoots and Cultured Cells at Different Stages","volume":"7","year":"2009","journal-title":"J. Food Technol."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"427","DOI":"10.1038\/sj.ejcn.1601565","article-title":"The glycaemic index of dates and date\/yoghurt mixed meals. Are dates the candy that grows on trees?","volume":"57","author":"Miller","year":"2003","journal-title":"Eur. J. Clin. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"75","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jtusci.2014.07.002","article-title":"Nutritional composition of fruit of 10 date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivars grown in Saudi Arabia","volume":"9","author":"Assirey","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Taibah Univ. Sci."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7586","DOI":"10.1021\/jf050578y","article-title":"Compositional and Sensory Characteristics of Three Native Sun-Dried Date Varieties Grown in Oman L. Varieties Grown in Oman","volume":"53","author":"Alasalvar","year":"2005","journal-title":"J. Agric. Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"249","DOI":"10.1080\/10408398.2010.499824","article-title":"Date Fruits (Phoenix dactylifera Linn): An Emerging Medicinal Food","volume":"52","author":"Vayalil","year":"2012","journal-title":"Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"457","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jep.2016.10.032","article-title":"Chemical characterisation and the anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic and antibacterial properties of date fruit (Phoenix dactylifera L.)","volume":"194","author":"Taleb","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Ethnopharmacol."},{"key":"ref_7","first-page":"483","article-title":"Therapeutic effects of date fruits (Phoenix dactylifera) in the prevention of diseases via modulation of anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-tumour activity","volume":"7","author":"Rahmani","year":"2014","journal-title":"Int. J. Clin. Exp. Med."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"30075","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms161226210","article-title":"Date (Phoenix dactylifera) Polyphenolics and Other Bioactive Compounds: A Traditional Islamic Remedy\u2019s Potential in Prevention of Cell Damage, Cancer Therapeutics and Beyond","volume":"16","author":"Yasin","year":"2015","journal-title":"Int. J. Mol. Sci."},{"key":"ref_9","unstructured":"IDF (2019, July 26). IDF Diabetes Atlas\u20148th Edition 2017. Available online: https:\/\/diabetesatlas.org\/."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"458","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.312.7029.458","article-title":"Flavonoids and heart disease","volume":"312","author":"Muldoon","year":"1996","journal-title":"BMJ"},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1155\/2014\/367681","article-title":"In Vitro Antioxidant Activities of Three Selected Dates from Tunisia (Phoenix dactylifera L.)","volume":"2014","author":"Kchaou","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Chem."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"964","DOI":"10.1016\/j.arabjc.2010.11.014","article-title":"The In Vitro antioxidant activity of different types of palm dates (Phoenix dactylifera) syrups","volume":"7","year":"2014","journal-title":"Arab. J. Chem."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"13620","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules200813620","article-title":"Metabolic Analysis of Various Date Palm Fruit (Phoenix dactylifera L.) Cultivars from Saudi Arabia to Assess Their Nutritional Quality","volume":"20","author":"Hamad","year":"2015","journal-title":"Molecules"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"123","DOI":"10.3923\/ijp.2007.123.129","article-title":"Effect of Dates and Gahwa (Arabian Coffee) Supplementation on Lipids in Hypercholesterolemic Hamsters","volume":"3","author":"Alsaif","year":"2007","journal-title":"Int. J. Pharmacol."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"148","DOI":"10.1186\/s12944-019-1087-3","article-title":"Bio-evaluation of functional date bars using rats as model organism against hypercholesterolemia","volume":"18","author":"Arshad","year":"2019","journal-title":"Lipids Health Dis."},{"key":"ref_16","first-page":"1","article-title":"Effect of Dates in Lowering LDL Level in Geriatric Cases","volume":"10","author":"Verma","year":"2016","journal-title":"Health Sci. J."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"55","DOI":"10.1024\/0300-9831.73.2.55","article-title":"Special Characteristics of Non-Nutrient Food Constituents of Plants\u2014Phytochemicals Introductary Lecture","volume":"73","author":"Andlauer","year":"2003","journal-title":"Int. J. Vitam. Nutr. Res."},{"key":"ref_18","first-page":"17","article-title":"A review on the nutritional content, functional properties and medicinal potential of dates","volume":"3","author":"Nasir","year":"2015","journal-title":"Sci. Lett."},{"key":"ref_19","first-page":"62","article-title":"Effects of Palm Dates (Phoenix Dactylifera L.) Extracts on Hepatic Dysfunctions in Type 2 Diabetic Rat Model","volume":"4","author":"Hussein","year":"2015","journal-title":"World J. Pharm. Pharm. Sci."},{"key":"ref_20","first-page":"15","article-title":"Phytochemical profile, antioxidant, antibacterial, antidiabetic and anti-obesity activities of fruits and pits from date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) grown in south of Tunisia","volume":"5","author":"Touati","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Pharmacogn. Phytochem."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"499","DOI":"10.1093\/clinchem\/18.6.499","article-title":"Estimation of the Concentration of Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol in Plasma, without Use of the Preparative Ultracentrifuge","volume":"18","author":"Friedewald","year":"1972","journal-title":"Clin. Chem."},{"key":"ref_22","unstructured":"Ware, J.E., Snow, K.K., Kosinski, M., and Gandek, B. (1993). SF-36 Health Survey Manual and Interpretation Guide, The Health Institute, New England Medical Center."},{"key":"ref_23","unstructured":"Musaiger, A. (2011). Food Composition Tables for Bahrain, Arab Center for Nutrition."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1381","DOI":"10.1249\/01.MSS.0000078924.61453.FB","article-title":"International physical activity questionnaire: 12-Country reliability and validity","volume":"35","author":"Craig","year":"2003","journal-title":"Med. Sci. Sports Exerc."},{"key":"ref_25","unstructured":"(2019, September 01). Consort Group the Consort Statement. Available online: http:\/\/www.consort-statement.org\/."},{"key":"ref_26","first-page":"1945","article-title":"Anti-hyperlipidemic and hepatoprotective effects of native date fruit variety \u201cAseel\u201d (Phoenix dactylifera)","volume":"29","author":"Ahmed","year":"2016","journal-title":"Pak. J. Pharm. Sci."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1111\/jfbc.12545","article-title":"Efficacy of new beverage made of dates vinegar and garlic juice in improving serum lipid profile parameters and inflammatory biomarkers of mildly hyperlipidemic adults: A double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled study","volume":"42","author":"Ali","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Food Biochem."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8010","DOI":"10.1021\/jf901559a","article-title":"Effects of Date (Phoenix dactylifera L., Medjool or Hallawi Variety) Consumption by Healthy Subjects on Serum Glucose and Lipid Levels and on Serum Oxidative Status: A Pilot Study","volume":"57","author":"Rock","year":"2009","journal-title":"J. Agric. Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_29","first-page":"826","article-title":"Study of the Effect of Dates on Blood Glucose and Lipid Profile in Healthy Human Subjects","volume":"3","author":"Freha","year":"2013","journal-title":"Int. J. Pharm. Chem. Biol. Sci."},{"key":"ref_30","unstructured":"Al-Mssallem, M.Q., Elmulthum, N.A., and Elzaki, R.M. (2018, January 25). Nutrition elements secured by date palm fruit consumption. Proceedings of the Saudi FDA Annual Conference and Exhibition (SFDACE 2018), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"274","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jef.2017.10.003","article-title":"Traditional plant-based foods and beverages in Bahrain","volume":"4","author":"Alalwan","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Ethn. Foods"},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"59","DOI":"10.1186\/1475-2891-10-59","article-title":"Glycemic indices of five varieties of dates in healthy and diabetic subjects","volume":"10","author":"Alkaabi","year":"2011","journal-title":"Nutr. J."},{"key":"ref_33","first-page":"565","article-title":"Effect of traditional Arabic coffee consumption on the glycemic index of Khalas dates tested in healthy and diabetic subjects","volume":"22","author":"Alkaabi","year":"2013","journal-title":"Asia Pac. J. Clin. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"397","DOI":"10.5144\/0256-4947.2016.397","article-title":"Glycemic indices, glycemic load and glycemic response for seventeen varieties of dates grown in Saudi Arabia","volume":"36","author":"AlGeffari","year":"2016","journal-title":"Ann. Saudi Med."},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"58","DOI":"10.3923\/ajcn.2018.58.64","article-title":"Consumption of Dates among Saudi Adults and its Association with the Prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes","volume":"10","year":"2018","journal-title":"Asian J. Clin. Nutr."}],"container-title":["Nutrients"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-6643\/12\/1\/217\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,13]],"date-time":"2025-10-13T13:19:46Z","timestamp":1760361586000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-6643\/12\/1\/217"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2020,1,15]]},"references-count":35,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,1]]}},"alternative-id":["nu12010217"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/nu12010217","relation":{},"ISSN":["2072-6643"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2072-6643","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2020,1,15]]}}}