Tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus L.) and date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) fruit blend mitigates hyperglycemia, insulin resistance and oxidative complications in type-2 diabetes models.

Tiger nut and date fruit are chewy with sweet taste and are popularly consumed as food either alone, mixed or paired with other fruits, seeds and vegetables. They are locally used to treat diabetes and were separately reported to attenuate hyperglycemia in various animal models of diabetes. However, effect of tiger nut and date fruit mixture on key diabetes related parameters has not yet been reported. Therefore, we investigated the antidiabetic and antioxidant effects of the tiger nut and date blend (TDB) using in vitro and in vivo models. The TDB was prepared in equal ratio (1:1). For the in vivo study, mixture was included in the diet at 5% and 10% and feed the type 2 diabetic rats for 4 weeks. The diabetic untreated rats showed significant (p < .05) hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, insulin resistance and oxidative stress. Consumption of the TDB blend, significantly (p < .05) reduced fasting blood glucose by 71% and 52% in the groups treated with high and low doses respectively. In addition, intake of TBD blend demonstrated significant (p < .05) antihyperlipidemic, ameliorated insulin resistance and oxidative stress in the treated groups. The effects were more prominent in group supplemented with the 10% of the TDB and attributed to some promising ingredients detected. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of TDB exhibited antidiabetic action and could be due to the phytochemicals assessed. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Inclusion of functional foods such as tiger nut and date fruit in daily diet is proved to be highly beneficial in controlling type-2 diabetes and its associated complications. Our results show that tiger nut and date fruit blend can effectively reduce hyperglycemia and oxidative damage, improve insulin sensitivity in type-2 diabetes rat model. Hence, the data shows the potential of tiger nut and date fruit blend to promote scientific basis of the dietary application of tiger nut and date fruit blend as a functional food for the remedy of diabetes and its associated complications.