Dietary pattern of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus including date consumption

Abstract

Aim: Assess the relationship between date palm fruit consumption and diabetic control among Saudi patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Subjects and methods: Saudi patients with type 2 diabetes (n = 404, aged 55.3 ± 9.7 years) were included in this study. Height, weight and blood pressure were initially measured. Blood glucose levels (fasting and random), glycated hemoglobin HbA1c, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein and triglycerides were retrieved from the patient’s medical records. The amount and frequency of habitual consumption of date fruits were obtained from patients using a validated dietary questionnaire. Results: The results revealed that high consumption of date fruits was statistically significantly correlated with lower HbA1c and fasting blood glucose (p < 0.01). Conclusion: This cross-sectional study found an association between high date fruit consumption by patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and lower HbA1c and fasting blood glucose levels. Further studies are required to verify this interesting finding