Common fig nutrition: glycemic index, calories and diets

Allergy

Fig allergies are not that common, with only a few cases reported to date. The main manifestations are usually either an anaphylactic reaction or an oral allergy syndrome. People with a fig allergy can often feel a tingling, itching, or swelling sensation in the mouth right after consuming the fruit. The most common allergens in figs are the proteins related to the skin (6).

Fig trees can also cause skin rashes called phytophotodermatitis due to compounds within fig leaves called furocoumarins, consisting of psoralen, bergapten, and others. Phytophotodermatitis is a toxic reaction due to skin exposure to certain plants, followed by exposure to sunlight. It is not a photoallergic reaction but rather a phototoxic one, meaning prior sensitization is not necessary, and anyone can be affected by it (7).

Scientists have discovered a cross-reactivity between fig fruit, the weeping fig, and other fruits like kiwi, papaya, avocado, pineapple, and banana. Dependent sensitization to rubber latex allergens was not found (8).

Diabetes

Studies have found that due to a phytohormone called abscisic acid, fig fruit extract supplementation can be a promising nutritional change for diabetes management. It may improve acute postprandial glucose and insulin homeostasis and be a possible adjunctive treatment for glycemic management in prediabetes and diabetes mellitus type 2 (9, 10).

Another research has treated experimental diabetes in rats with fig fruit extracts, confirming that figs’ antioxidant properties ameliorate diabetic conditions (11).

The glycemic index of dried figs is 61, which puts it in the moderate category. Compared to dried figs, dates and raisins have a higher glycemic index.

However, prunes, dried apples, peaches, and apricots have a lower glycemic index (12).

Incorporating a decoction of fig leaves as a supplement for breakfast has been proven to help patients with type 1 diabetes lower their daily required insulin dose by 12% (13).

The aqueous extract of Ficus carica leaves has been proven to have significant hypoglycemic effects in streptozotocin-diabetic rats after an oral or intraperitoneal administration (14).

Cancer

Compounds within fig latex, like sitosterols and acyl moieties, primarily palmitoyl and linoleyl, have been established to be potent cytotoxic agents, showing inhibitory effects on the proliferation of various cancer cell lines during in vitro experiments (15).

Fig tree latex and leaves can be used as a potential therapeutic treatment on colorectal cancer cells due to their antiproliferative and apoptosis-inducing qualities (16).

Another study has found the active compounds bergapten and psoralen to play an important role in the anticancer effects of the fig tree leaves. Ficus carica leaves can be a good source to use in the development of drugs for suppressing cancer cell growth and migration against breast cancer (17), as well as cervical (18) and liver cancer (19).

Cardiovascular

Research has shown that the aqueous methanol extract of the fig fruit decreases the blood pressure of glucose-induced hypertensive rats, presenting with strong negative inotropic and chronotropic effects (20). This makes the fig fruit a potential substance for developing natural hypotensive drugs.

Ficus carica leaf extracts can also play a role as a food supplementation for poultry due to the fact that adding the extract significantly reduced the levels of triglycerides and total cholesterol production in poultry liver (21).

Other studies have also shown fig leaf extracts to have hypolipidemic effects in lab animals. One study showed that the extract improves the lipid profile and decreases adipogenic risk factors in high-fat diet rats (22).

Another research found the leaves to significantly affect carbohydrate metabolism enzymes, promising hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activities in type 2 diabetic rats (23).

Nevertheless, when it comes to the direct effects of the fig leaf extract on humans, it has not been proven yet. A study concluded that consumption of dried figs does not decrease serum low-density lipoprotein or total cholesterol concentrations. On the contrary total cholesterol levels increased in the subjects (24).

The fruit has been studied to repress adenosine-5-diphosphate and adrenaline-induced human platelet aggregation, expressing antiplatelet activity. The ripe dried fruit also exhibited spasmolytic activity, most probably mediated by activating potassium ion ATP channels (25).

Digestive System

Figs are often used in traditional medicine to treat constipation and various digestive issues. Scientists have researched some of those effects.

A study has shown the aqueous extract of fig leaves to have a natural laxative effect without causing diarrhea and to ameliorate functional gastrointestinal and motility disorders (26).

Figs can also be used as an effective treatment for constipation in dogs, further proving that fig paste may be useful as complementary medicine for people suffering from chronic constipation (27).

Consumption of figs can be helpful for patients with irritable bowel syndrome, improving symptoms such as frequency of pain, frequency of defecation, distention, and stool consistency (28).

In different studies over the years, figs have also been researched to have many more properties, such as hepatoprotective, antibacterial, antipyretic, antituberculosis, anthelmintic, antimutagenic, antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and others (25, 29).