Effect of Ziziphus jujube on cardiometabolic factors and systemic inflammation in type 2 diabetic patients: A randomized controlled trial

In the current study, we aimed to assess the effect of dried Ziziphus jujube on blood glucose, lipid profiles, anthropometric indices, and inflammatory factors in type 2 diabetic(T2D) patients.

In this randomized controlled clinical trial, 48 patients, aged 30-65 years, were randomly assigned to two intervention(n = 24) and control(n = 24) groups. The subjects in the intervention group received 30 g Ziziphus jujube daily for 12 weeks. At baseline and the end of the 12th week, 10 ml of blood was taken from each patient after a 12- to 14-h overnight fasting. Plasma levels of fasting plasma glucose (FPG), triglycerides(TGs), total cholesterol(TC), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol(HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol(LDL-C), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein(hs-CRP), and interleukin-6(IL-6) were measured. Anthropometric indices were determined.

Plasma FPG, TG, TC, and LDL-C decreased significantly up to -11.36%, -13.59%, -7.46%, -7.65% in the Ziziphus jujube group at the end of week 12 compared to baseline, respectively (P < 0.05), and this reduction was significant in comparison with the control group (P < 0.05). The plasma hs-CRP reduced significantly up to -24.46% in the Ziziphus jujube group at the end of week 12 compared to baseline (P < 0.05), however, this reduction was not significant in comparison with the control group (P < 0.05). Also, there were no significant differences between the two groups in mean changes of body mass index, plasma HDL-C, and IL-6.

The current study showed that daily consumption of Ziziphus jujube may have beneficial effects on the lipid profiles and blood glucose levels in T2D.

T his clinical trial was registered at the Iranian registry of clinical trials (IRCT registration number: IRCT20181210041913N1).