Effect of Ajwa dates on quality of life and serum tumour necrosis factor-alpha levels in patients with schizophrenia treated with risperidone: a randomised controlled study.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the adjuvant treatment effect of Ajwa dates (Phoenix dactylifera L) on quality of life (QoL) and serum tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels in patients with schizophrenia treated with risperidone.

Methods: Consecutive hospitalised patients aged 20 to 45 years who were diagnosed with schizophrenia, treated with risperidone at 4 to 6 mg/day, with a disease onset of ≤5 years, and had passed the acute phase were invited to participate. Participants were randomly and equally assigned to either the treatment or control group. The treatment group received risperidone as prescribed and seven Ajwa dates per day (ie, 60-80 g), whereas the control group received risperidone alone. Patient QoL was assessed by a psychiatrist in face-to-face interviews using the World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF) at baseline, week 4, and week 8. Serum TNF-α levels were assessed using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at baseline and week 8.

Results: In total, 44 participants were included in the analysis. The treatment and control groups were comparable in terms of baseline characteristics, except for education level (p = 0.037) and WHOQOLBREF physical domain score (p = 0.002). At week 8, compared with the control group, the treatment group had higher total WHOQOL-BREF scores (69.3 vs 66.8, p = 0.015) and a greater percentage increase in scores (283.6% vs 243.4%), as well as lower TNF-α levels (86.8 vs 134.5 pg/mL, p = 0.046) and a greater percentage decrease in levels (-25.5% vs -8.6%). The WHOQOL-BREF scores were negatively correlated with serum TNF-α levels in both the treatment (r = -0.988, p < 0.001) and control (r = -0.918, p < 0.001) groups.

Conclusion: Ajwa dates have an adjuvant effect on improving QoL and reducing serum TNF-α levels in patients with schizophrenia treated with risperidone.