ABSTRACT
An oral glucose tolerance test [OGTT] with 75 g dextrose and an oral dates tolerance test [ODTT] using an isocaloric [300 kcal] amount of dates [110 g] were performed in 16 well-controlled non-insulin dependent diabetic patients and 10 healthy subjects, using semi-dried Sukkari dates [AI-Qassim] in the ripe [tamer] stage. In the patients, the glucose values were significantly higher after dextrose, p<0.05, from 60 to 120 min and the incremental area under curve [IAUC] for glucose [mmol/litre 2h,mean +/- SE] following dextrose -76.1 +/- 5.2, was significantly larger than for dates - 51.4 +/- 3.1, p<0.05. Among the non-diabetic controls, there was no significant difference in the glucose levels following dextrose and dates throughout the tests and the IAUC for dextrose -21.6 +/- 2.2 and dates - 11.9 +/- 2.1 were not significantly different, p>0.05. The glycaemic index [Gl] for dates in patients -67 +/- 6 was not significantly different from the value in controls -56 +/- 8.5, p>0.2. The IAUC [micro U/ml 2 h, mean +/- SE] for insulin in patients were: dextrose -147.9 +/- 25.7, dates -129.4 +/- 17.0, p>0.5. In controls, the values were dextrose: 164.6 +/- 22.7, dates: 61.0 +/- 14.7, p<0.025, reflecting a significantly blunted response to dates. The glycaemic potential of the variety of dates used in this study was two-thirds that of pure dextrose in well-controlled diabetic patients but just over half in healthy volunteers. Dates stimulated less insulin secretion than dextrose in healthy subjects. Further studies are necessary to determine whether dates will adversely affect the control of diabetes significantly