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

Abstract

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 30g Ziziphus jujube daily for 12 weeks. At baseline and the end of the 12th week, 10ml 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).