Glycaemic index and load of dietetic sour cherry jam prepared with date syrup in healthy persons

Abstract

Background & Aims: Date syrup is a natural sweetener rich in antioxidants. In addition, fructose is the predominant sugar in date syrup, which elevates blood glucose at a slower pace than the other types of sugar. The objective of this study was to evaluate the glycemic response of healthy persons to dietetic sour cherry jam prepared with date syrup. Methods: In this clinical trial, the glycemic response of 9 healthy persons was evaluated after the consumption of two kinds of jams, one prepared with date syrup and one as a control. Both jams had been produced using a specific formulation. White bread was chosen as the reference food. Having determined the glycemic index (GI) of the two jams, glycemic load (GL) was calculated and compared for the two jams by independent t-test. Results: GL was 15.4 and 18 for the dietetic and control jams respectively, both of which were within the permitted range for diabetic s consumption. No significant difference was observed between the GIs of the two jams. The results showed that, the GL of the dietetic jam was significantly lower than that of the control (p<0.05). Conclusion: The GL of the dietetic jam prepared with date syrup was less than that of the control sample. In light of the other health benefits of date syrup, once confirmed by further studies, this jam may be suitable to be introduced to the public as a dietetic product.