Dates are nutritious fruit that offers some pretty impressive health benefits. Their natural sweetness and rich flavour can be used in the place of sugar while acting as an antioxidant that fights diseases.
Below are seven amazing health benefits of dates you should know about.
1. Dates are nutrient-rich
Three dates provide about 200 calories, 54 grams of carbohydrates with about 5 grams as fibre, a gram of protein, and no fat. This size portion also supplies smaller amounts of a wide range of nutrients, including B vitamins, vitamin K, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, and manganese.
2. Dates have a variety of antioxidants
In addition to their vitamin and mineral content, dates are rich in health-protective antioxidants. One recent paper, published in the Journal of Pharmacy & BioAllied Sciences, states that dates are a good source of natural antioxidants, which can be used for the management of oxidative stress-related illnesses. Oxidative stress occurs when there is an imbalance between the production of cell-damaging free radicals and the body’s ability to counter their harmful effects. This fruit also contains anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial compounds, which means they may also play a role in combating infectious diseases. They also possess anti-fungal properties.
3. Dates are naturally sweet and provide no added sugar
They are whole, unprocessed fruit, their sugar content is naturally occurring. If you use this fruit to sweeten a meal or recipe, you haven’t used up any of your daily added sugar budgets, unlike sweeteners such as cane sugar.
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4. Dates support digestive health
Three dates provide about 18% of the daily goal for fibre, which supports good digestive function. One study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, looked specifically at the impact of dates consumption on the gut. Healthy men were randomly assigned to eat either seven dates per day. After a 14-day washout period, the groups switched. Researchers found that while eating dates, the study subjects experienced improvements in their bowel movement frequency and a reduced level of stool chemicals known to damage cells and trigger mutations that may lead to cancer.
If you’ve ever experienced constipation, you know how it can wreak havoc with your energy level and overall comfort. Dates can be a simple way to get things moving.
5. Dates protect heart health and blood sugar regulation
Older research has examined the effects of date intake in healthy adults over a four-week period. In one study, volunteers ate about three and a half ounces a day of two different types of dates. At the end of the month, researchers found that the date addition did not significantly affect the study subjects’ body mass index (BMI), total cholesterol, LDL, or HDL levels.
Another more recent study tested date consumption on both blood fats and glycemic control. One hundred men and women with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to eat either no dates at all or to add three dates daily for 16 weeks. The date eaters experienced a statistically significant decrease in both total cholesterols and ”bad” LDL. The group that consumed dates also experienced improvements in mental health and measures of overall quality of life.
6. It may offer brain protection
Protective compounds in dates are also thought to help guard the brain. This fruit has promising therapeutic potential against Alzheimer’s disease. This is because it has the ability to combat inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain.
7. It may help ease natural labour
One additional potential benefit of dates applies specifically to pregnant women. A 2020 paper, published in the journal BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, looked at the impact of dates on labour and delivery. Researchers revealed that eating this fruit may reduce the duration of the active phase of labour. This is the stage during which the cervix dilates. It may also improve bishop score, a measure that rates the readiness of the cervix for vaginal labour. However, date consumption had no effect on the length of the first, second, and third stages of labour, or the frequency of cesarean section.
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