Date Fruit and its Benefits

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Date fruit or dates are found in the fertile regions of Egypt and Mesopotamia in date palm. It has many benefits like, anti-oxidant, reduces cancer, fights diabetes etc. Dates are cultivated across the Middle East, the Horn of Africa, Northern Africa and South of Asia. It was a staple food in many places in Indian and Middle Eastern regions for thousands of years.

What is a Date Fruit?

Dates are one of the most favoured dry fruits around the globe. Dates are consumed directly or can be pitted/stoned and filled with seeds & nuts. 

Dates palm is about 21 to 23 meters in height. They are an important traditional crop in Iraq, Iran, Arabia and Morocco. Date palms take around 4 to 8 years to bear fruits after they are planted. A mature palm can produce 70 to 140 kg of dates in a harvest season.

Dates fruit benefits

Dates are really a nutritious fruit we can add to our diet. Dates contain many healthy ingredients as mentioned in Medical News Today, a web-based outlet for medical news.  It has many benefits which can be listed a below;

• The fibre content for certain conditions
• Improving brain health
• Reduction of chronic diseases by its antioxidants
• Better skin health
• Good for diabetics
• Help treat infertility

 

Fibre Content

Fibre can help to deal with diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and obesity. It also helps to reduce the risk of colon cancer, constipation and ulcers.

Improving Brain Health

A scientific review of 2016 published in the US National Library of Medicine, suggested that long term consumption of date fruit supplements in tested animals reduced plaque formation in their brain. And these plaques are characteristic in people with Alzheimer’s.

Reduction of Chronic Diseases by its Antioxidants

It is known that oxidative stress plays a role in the development of certain chronic conditions including cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular diseases.

Dates have strong antioxidants that can improve these chronic diseases.

Better Skin Health

Even some skin creams contain dates for enhancing skin health.

The application of dates has shown improvement of elasticity, brightness and moisture formation on the skin. 

Treatment of Diabetes

Studies have shown that dates can improve the pancreas by helping in the secretion of insulin which balances the sugar level in the body. Also, the antioxidant nature helps in the reduction of chronic diseases lessening the complication of having another disease with diabetes. Different types of dates seem to have the same effect on reducing diabetes.

Helps Treat Infertility

People from old civilizations have used dates to treat infertility. They understood the benefits of dates in improving the health and metabolism of the body. A recent study conducted this year, which is yet to for peer review has shown a reduced rate of infertility in rats when they consumed dates. 

Testing on humans is yet to be done but they hope for a positive result in humans too.

 

Only Risk in Dates Consumption

From the researches and experiments, dates are found to be an amazing and nutritious fruit one can have. There is a long list of benefits of having dates and is recommended by doctors.

The only possible risk regarding the intake of dates is the high level of sugar in it.  

Dates and Diabetes

It is the situation when the boon becomes the bane. Dates having a high density of sugar may harm a diabetic patient if consumed more than a specific amount. A recent study, “Potentials and Safety of Date Palm Fruit against Diabetes: A Critical Review”, mentions the risk in high consumption of dates for diabetic patients.

 

Some diabetic experts suggest that low to moderate consumption of dates may not harm a diabetic person. They suggest the patients consult with one’s doctor before including dates in their daily diet. 

Summary

Date fruits have been an unavoidable item in our menu and will remain the same as we discover the new benefits of this fruit. Medical experts have given positive signs for consumption of dates.

We can add dates to our daily menu by different methods and trying out new recipes with dates. So, include this amazing fresh dates fruit in your diet for a healthy future.