Glycemic Index of Date Cultivars and Date-based Products

NCT ID: NCT07286981

Last Updated: 2025-12-31

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 40 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2024-08-16
• Study Completion Date: 2025-05-25

Brief Summary

Dates are widely consumed worldwide and hold substantial cultural importance in many Middle Eastern communities. Despite growing interest in measuring the glycemic response and glycemic index of foods for both research and practical applications, studies examining the glycemic properties of different date cultivars and their derived products remain limited. This study aims to determine the glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) of commonly consumed Saudi date cultivars and their derived products in healthy subjects, and to evaluate their potential impact on postprandial glucose responses. The study will consist of 4 phases as follows: phase 1: Date varieties at Tamer stage; phase 2: date varieties at Rutab stage; phase 3: Date's debs; phase 4: Date's paste. For each phase, ten subjects will be asked to attend the laboratory in the morning after an overnight fast on several occasions. Each visit will be separated from the next by a "washout" day. The reference food, 50 g of glucose dissolve in 250 ml water will be tested on 3 alternating days to diminish day to day variation of glucose tolerance. 50g equivalent carbohydrates of dates will be consumed with 250 ml of water. Participants will be blinded to the type of the dates. Glucose will be measured in capillary blood samples following the two hours of the test meal consumption, at 15 min interval (0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 min) . A qualified technician will perform all blood glucose measurements.

Conditions

Glycaemic Response Measurements

Keywords

glycemic index; Glycemic load; Dates; Tamer; Rutab; Date paste; Date molasses

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Single Group - Crossover Consumption of Date Products and Glucose Reference

All participants will receive the glucose reference solution on three separate occasions and will consume the date or date-based product in individual sessions. Participants serve as their own control in a crossover design. Capillary blood glucose will be measured at several time points (0-120 minutes) after consumption to assess the glycemic index and load for each product.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Date Cultivars and Date-based Products

Intervention Type: OTHER

Participants will consume 50 g of available carbohydrates from each date or date-based product, including 13 Tamer varieties, 12 Rutab varieties, 3 types of date paste, and 3 types of date molasses. Each product will be tested in a separate session.. The intervention will also include consumption of a glucose reference solution (50 g glucose) on three separate occasions.

Interventions

Date Cultivars and Date-based Products

Participants will consume 50 g of available carbohydrates from each date or date-based product, including 13 Tamer varieties, 12 Rutab varieties, 3 types of date paste, and 3 types of date molasses. Each product will be tested in a separate session.. The intervention will also include consumption of a glucose reference solution (50 g glucose) on three separate occasions.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Other Intervention Names

Tamer; Rutab; Date paste; Date molasses

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Healthy adults aged 18 to 55 years
• Normotensive (normal blood pressure)
• Normal fasting glucose levels
• Not taking any prescription medication
• Able and willing to provide written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

• Morbid obesity (BMI > 40 kg/m²)
• Pre-diabetic status
• Pregnancy
• Any gastrointestinal disorders
• History of gastroenteritis within the preceding six months
• Previous gastrointestinal surgeries
• Smoking
• Presence of chronic conditions (e.g., asthma, rheumatoid arthritis)
• Presence of acute illnesses (e.g., respiratory or urinary tract infections)

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 55 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

King Saud University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Maha Alhussain

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Maha Alhussain, PhD

Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR

King Saud University

Locations

King Saud University

Riyadh, , Saudi Arabia

Countries

Saudi Arabia

References

Brouns F, Bjorck I, Frayn KN, Gibbs AL, Lang V, Slama G, Wolever TM. Glycaemic index methodology. Nutr Res Rev. 2005 Jun;18(1):145-71. doi: 10.1079/NRR2005100.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 19079901 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

24/1428

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id