Effect of dried Ziziphus Jujube Consumption on Plasma Insulin, Blood Pressure, Oxidative Stress, and Advanced Glycation End Products in Diabetic Patients with Excess Weight: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Poor glycemic control and oxidative stress can accelerate the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D) complications. Recently, the potential benefits of herbs in managing T2D have received more attention. Therefore, we examined the effect of consuming dried Ziziphus jujube (ZJ) on plasma insulin, blood pressure, oxidative stress markers, and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in T2D patients with excess weight.

Methods: Forty-eight diabetic patients with excess weight were selected and randomly assigned to the ZJ group (n = 24) or the control group (n = 24). The case group received 30g of dried ZJ fruit daily for three months. Concentrations of fasting insulin, malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), carboxymethyl lysine (CML), and blood pressure (BP) were measured.

Results: After adjusting for baseline values, the ZJ group showed a significant decrease in systolic BP (up to 7 mmHg) and diastolic BP (up to 5 mmHg) compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Moreover, plasma insulin levels significantly decreased (up to 4.6 mIU/L) in the ZJ group compared to the control group (P < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in the mean changes of plasma TAC, MDA, and CML between the two groups.

Conclusions: The present study suggests that consuming 30g/day of dried ZJ fruit may improve some cardiometabolic profiles, including plasma insulin and blood pressure in T2D patients with excess weight.

Trial registration: The present clinical trial has been enrolled in the Iranian registry of clinical trials with the registration number IRCT20181210041913N1.