Date palms begin to bear fruit at three to five years, and are fully mature at 12 years. Cultivated in arid regions of the world, wild populations can still be found around Jordan and the border between Iran and Iraq. Eating dates as a snack or when you are craving something sweet is great way to satisfied your urge for sweets.

10 Health Benefits Of Dates

1. Improve Heart Health

Dates can improve heart health in a variety of ways. The high levels of potassium dates contain can reduce stroke risk. Adding dates to your diet can also lower LDL cholesterol levels, which is the bad type of cholesterol. Lower LDL cholesterol levels can lower your risk of heart disease and heart attacks, as well as stroke risk. Eating plenty of dates may reduce your risk of stroke, and it can do so by as much as 40%.

2. Dates Improve Digestive Health

Dates are a good source of soluble fiber, which is an important component of digestive health. Soluble fiber draws moisture into the digestive tract, so foods that are high in soluble fiber, such as dates, can help prevent and treat constipation. They have been shown to reduce your risk of colon cancer and more. Dates are even recommended treatments for hemorrhoids. They are easy to digest, and the soluble fiber they contain can bulk up watery stools. In addition, the regular addition of dates to your diet can strengthen the good bacteria in your stomach, which is vital for digestion. If you have problems like IBS or many other digestive and GI problems, dates can help.

3. Cure Allergies

Presence of organic sulfur in dates is not a very common element to find in foods, but it does have a worthwhile amount of health benefits, including the reduction of allergic reactions and seasonal allergies. According to a study, organic sulfur compounds can have a positive impact on the amount of suffering people experience from SAR (Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis), which affects approximately 23 million people in the United States alone. They are a great way to stem the effects of those seasonal allergies through their contributions of sulfur to the diet.

4. Strengthen Bones

Due to the richness of all the different minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants dates have a positive effect on bone health. These dry fruits contain selenium, manganese, copper, and magnesium, all of which are integral to healthy bone development and strength, particularly as people age, their bones gradually weaken. Bone strength is of particular concern to mature women, and many find dates an easy and enjoyable addition to their diet.

5. Energy Booster

Dates are high in natural sugars like glucose, fructose, and sucrose (66.5 gram per 100 grams), which will provide you with natural boost of energy.. Therefore, they are the perfect snack for an immediate burst of energy. Many people around the world eat dates for a quick afternoon snack when they are feeling lethargic or sluggish. Often when you exercise in a gym, outside or even you work at home or garden, you feel exhausted. Chewing few dates at such times helps you regain your energy immediately. Dates are full of fiber, can keep your energy up without the crash you would normally experience from any other sweet treat.

6. Treat Skin Problems

Regular intakes of dates can get rid of those pesky wrinkles and fine lines especially if you eat the black or red ones. If you consume dry dates, which contains pantothenic acid, it will help in averting the damages caused by free radicals. It helps to improve your skin from within you, revealing a more supple and glowing skin. You can reduce the appearance of acne scars and stretch marks by applying a mixture of mashed dates and honey to those concern areas. Studies have proven that dates can be a great help in combating skin disorders. The nutrients contained in dates enhances the strength of the subcutaneous tissues, which will result in a more tender and smoother skin.

7. Treat Sexual Weakness

Studies have shown that dates are even beneficial for increasing sexual stamina. Soak a handful of dates in fresh goat’s milk overnight, then grind them in the same milk with a mixture of cardamom powder and honey. This mixture becomes a very useful tonic for increasing sexual endurance and reducing sterility caused by various sexual disorders. In 2006, Bahmanpour studied the effects of date palms and their oil on sexual functioning and found that the high levels of estradiol and flavonoid components of dates are what increase sperm count and motility, as well as promoting increased testes size and weight. So, if you are looking for a masculine boost, eat some dates, because they are a great natural aphrodisiac.

8. Prevent and Treat Anemia

Anemia, which is due to low iron levels, is a common issue amongst most people; women and endurance athletes are especially prone to it. Anemia can leave you exhausted, but dates are there to rescue you, because of their iron content. There is around 0.90 mg of iron in about 100 grams of the fruit, which means you’ll be getting about 11% of your recommended daily intake of iron. Iron plays a role in oxygen carrying capacity in one’s blood too. The people who tend to need iron the most are pregnant women and children who are going through puberty. The high level of iron in dates balances out the inherent lack of iron in anemic patients, increasing energy and strength while decreasing feelings of fatigue and sluggishness.

9. Dates as Pain Relievers & More

Because dates have so much magnesium, which is an anti-inflammatory, they can work to relieve pain and help swelling. Studies have shown that the magnesium in dates can help reduce arterial inflammation and that lowers your risk for heart disease as well as a host of other inflammation caused conditions like Alzheimer’s, arthritis and more.

10. Prevent Abdominal Cancer

Research has pointed towards dates being a legitimate way to reduce the risk and impact of abdominal cancer. They work as a useful tonic for all age groups, and in some cases, they work better than traditional medicines. Since they are natural, they don’t have any negative side effects on the human body. Another study reported the most prominent health benefits of dates: there are at least 15 minerals in dates, including selenium, an element believed to help prevent cancer and important in immune function, protein, containing 23 types of amino acids, some of which are not present in the most popular fruits, such as oranges, apples, and bananas.