Assessing the Glycaemic Index of Two Different Cultivars of Date Fruit
Condition: GI Glycaemic Index Healthy Volunteers; GL Glycaemic Load Healthy Volunteers
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Fruit of the date palm (P. dactylifera) may be considered as an emerging and potential
      candidate for the development of health-promoting foods, owing to its high nutritional
      values.

      Furthermore, aqueous extracts of dates have previously been shown to have potent antioxidant
      activity, because they inhibit in vitro lipid and protein oxidation and possess free radical
      scavenging capacity.

      Although the high sugar content of date fruit has always been a concern, date fruit has been
      regarded as a low-GI to medium-GI food. However, very limited, inconsistent and contradictory
      information is available on the glycaemic index values of different date varieties, which may
      be attributed to both the methodology as well as other food factors. Date consumption is high
      among people of Arabic origin, where it's very common for them to be eaten with coffee or
      yoghurt. Therefore, in view of these concerns, the objective of this trial is to evaluate the
      glycaemic response of two different varieties of dates, named Birhi & Khassab, in an early
      maturation stage (Rutab stage), when mixed with 0% fat yogurt, on ten healthy participants
      aged between 18 and 45.
    

Detailed description: 
      Introduction Although, the fruit of the date palm (P. dactylifera) may be considered an
      emerging and potential candidate for the development of health-promoting foods owing to its
      high nutritive values,the high sugar content of date fruit has always been a concern.
      Sun-dried dates, which is the well-known ripening stage of date fruit, can be regarded as
      low-GI to medium-GI food. However, very limited, inconsistent and contradictory information
      is available on the glycaemic Index values of different date varieties. This variation could
      be attributed to either the methodology or the food factors.

      Rational and objective Nowadays, low-GI foods have often been found to induce beneficial
      effects on risk factors for certain non-communicable chronic diseases . As the chemical
      composition of dates can vary depending on cultivar, soil conditions, agronomic practices as
      well as the ripening stage. It is important to know the GI of the local/regional date
      varieties, and in different date products such as dates with yoghurt. Date consumption is
      high among people of Arabic origin, where it is very commonly eaten with coffee or yoghurt.
      During the first trial of this PHD project, treatments containing 150g of 0% fat yoghurt and
      two different freeze dried date powders, depending on if it was a Birhi treatment or Khassab
      treatment, were formulated. These were used to assess acute effects of date fruit and yoghurt
      on mood and cognitive performance in healthy volunteers, as per the ethical approval from
      Newcastle University. These exact treatments will be used again, and the trial will aim to
      evaluate their glycaemic index on 10 healthy participants.

      Participants Ten healthy participants aged between 18 and 45 will be recruited. Participants
      will be required to undergo a screening visit, followed by three study visits, which will
      last 2:15 minutes for each visit. Glycaemic indexes will be calculated using standard
      methods. Results will be calculated using means and standard deviations.

      Design

      A standard experimental study involving the measurement of the glycaemic responses of the
      ingestion of two different varieties of dates, when mixed with 0% fat yoghurt, and a placebo
      treatment.
    

Intervention name(s): Birhi; Khassab; placebo
Intervention type(s): Dietary Supplement; Dietary Supplement; Dietary Supplement
Intervention description(s): Birhi which contain the following:
43.6g of Freeze-dried date powder+ 150g of 0% fat yoghurt; 34.6g of freeze-dried date powder+ 150g of 0% fat yoghurt; 50g of pure glucose dissolved in 100ml of water
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Crossover Assignment
Masking: Double (Participant, Investigator)
Primary purpose: Basic Science