Editorial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Diabetes. Jun 15, 2024; 15(6): 1079-1085
Published online Jun 15, 2024. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v15.i6.1079
Effect of dates on blood glucose and lipid profile among patients with type 2 diabetes
Hyder Osman Mirghani
Hyder Osman Mirghani, Internal Medicine, University of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Tabuk 51941, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
Author contributions: Mirghani HO performed the conception and design of the study, the literature search, and the drafting and critical revision of the manuscript, and provided the final approval of the version to be published.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author declares having no conflicts of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Hyder Osman Mirghani, MD, MSc, Professor, Internal Medicine, University of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Prince Fahd Bin Sultan, Tabuk 51941, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. s.hyder63@hotmail.com
Received: December 22, 2023
Revised: March 3, 2024
Accepted: April 3, 2024
Published online: June 15, 2024
Processing time: 171 Days and 23.6 Hours
Abstract

Poor fruit and vegetable consumption is one of the 10 major risk factors for mortality. There is a misconception regarding the consumption of dates among patients with diabetes. This manuscript assessed the effects of date consumption on fasting and postprandial blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoproteins, high-density lipoproteins, and microbial markers. Four literature databases were searched for relevant articles. Of the 595 studies retrieved, 24 assessed the effects of dates on glycemic control and lipids. Overall, the evidence suggests that dates have a lowering effect on blood glucose. Dates reduce total cholesterol and triglyceride levels and increase high-density lipoprotein levels. Dates also promote the abundance of beneficial gut microbiota. Therefore, patients with diabetes and dyslipidemia can consume dates to reduce their blood glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides.

Keywords: Dates; Lipid profile; Blood glucose; Diabetes mellitus; Microbial contamination

Core Tip: Literature on date consumption among patients with diabetes is scarce and limited. This article highlights the benefits and possible hazards of date consumption in this patient population. Additionally, a discussion on microbial contamination in dates and the beneficial fungi that might produce antibiotics is provided. Finally, the article suggests future research to investigate the role of microbes in pharmacotherapy of certain diseases.