4. Facilitates Labor
This benefit may be a bit surprising to some people, but it goes back centuries. In Islam, the Koran states that Allah told the Virgin Mary to eat dates when she gave birth to Jesus (10). As such, dates are commonly used by pregnant women in Muslim culture. There is science to back this claim, however.
A 2011 study published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology titled, “The effect of late pregnancy consumption of date fruit on labor and delivery,” showed that women who ate 6 dates daily for 4 weeks prior to their scheduled due date, had significantly improved cervical dilation when in labor. They also experienced less damage to their cervical membranes after giving birth.
5. Prevent Cancer
Dates contain high amounts of magnesium, a mineral that is crucial to your immune system. Magnesium calms inflammation in your body, a condition that is linked to a multitude of diseases, including such cancer, which is accelerated by inflammation. Dates are also full of beneficial antioxidants that fight free radicals and dangerous oxidation of your cells, again something that leads to disease.
Some research shows eating dates is a legitimate way to reduce the risk and impact of abdominal cancer. A recent 2015 study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, shows that eating dates may also reduce colon cancer risk (12). Other studies are underway to determine if dates can help with other forms of cancer.
6. Improve Male Fertility
Surprisingly, studies also show that date palm pollen (DPP) may cure male infertility by improving the quality of sperm parameters (13).
A 2015 study published in the Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences (PJBS) looked at 40 infertile men who consumed 120 mg DPP every other day, for two months.
They concluded that consumption of DPP improved their sperm count and in fact, “The treatment significantly increased sperm motility, morphology and forward progressive motility.”
Dates have high levels of estradiol and flavonoids believed to help increase sperm count and motility, and even increase testes size and weight. A common home remedy calls for soaking a handful of dates in fresh goat’s milk overnight, then grinding them in the milk with a mixture of cardamom powder and honey.
7. Boost Energy
Dates are full of natural simple sugars like glucose, fructose, and sucrose, which makes them a perfect snack for a fast and effective energy burst as these simple sugars are easily and quickly converted into glucose, which your cells use as energy.
Eat a few dates both before and after exercise, especially if you are doing high cardiovascular exercises, as they will help fortify and replenish your energy levels.
8. Boost Brain Energy
Not only can dates help boost your overall physical energy, but these delicious fruits can also boost your brain power. Every date contains over 2 milligrams of choline, a B vitamin in acetylcholine, the memory neurotransmitter.
