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Long‐term effects of dried plum consumption on insulin and glucose levels in postmenopausal women
Author(s) -
Hooshmand Shirin,
Garcia Sofia,
Metti Dina,
Vereda Yenina,
Chai Shea C.,
Arjmandi Bahram H.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.lb317
Subject(s) - insulin , glycemic , sugar , glycemic index , fructose , food science , medicine , chemistry , endocrinology
Insulin and glucose play a crucial role in glycemic control. Postmenopausal women have an increased risk of imbalances in maintaining stable blood sugar levels as a result of changes in body composition. Dried plums are a good source of nutrients including fiber, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and boron. Nonetheless, the consumption of dried plums is often avoided due to their high sugar content (51.5%). However, the sugar in dried plums is composed of 28.5% sorbitol, which is not readily absorbed, and 25.4% fructose, which promotes a stable insulin response. Although short‐term studies evaluating the effects of dried plum consumption on serum insulin levels have been conducted, there is a lack of long‐term studies. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to identify the long‐term effects of consuming dried plum on insulin and glucose levels. One hundred women, 1–10 years postmenopausal, were randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups: dried plum (100 g/d) or dried apple (comparative control). Blood samples were collected at baseline and 12 months to assess insulin and glucose levels. No significant changes were found in insulin and glucose levels between dried plum and control groups (p=0.6720 and 0.7855, respectively). Therefore, long‐term consumption of dried plums can be recommended to postmenopausal women for their health benefits without negatively affecting glycemic control.