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Another Look at Dates?

How this underrated Middle Eastern fruit can prevent diseases like cancer and diabetes

The date fruit has constituents that have been found to show anti-tumour activity, that is, they fight irascible proliferation of cells. (Photo:© Al1962| Dreamstime.com)

By Akerele Christabel

July 7, 2025
3:55 pm
Los Angeles, CA

The world is full of little-known, under-utilized solutions to the problems of man. For all our technological breakthroughs, nature continues to smack us in the face, showing us that the things we spend mountains of money to acquire are the same things it spawns free of charge. Humanity is slowly realizing that its solutions, especially in the area of health, has already been provided by nature. This time, it is the staple fruit of the Middle East that stands in the limelight, donning the superhero cape. The date palm (Phoenix Dactylifera) is renowned as one of oldest cultivated plants of human kind and used as food for 6000 years. According to Amer WM. Ph.D, there are more than two hundred varieties of dates available worldwide. It is the main

This time, it is the staple fruit of the Middle East that stands in the limelight, donning the superhero cape. The date palm (Phoenix Dactylifera) is renowned as one of oldest cultivated plants of human kind and used as food for 6000 years. According to Amer WM. Ph.D, there are more than two hundred varieties of dates available worldwide. It is the main crop in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Middle Eastern countries. Researchers place the origins of dates somewhere around the Persian Gulf, and has been cultivated from Mesopotamia to prehistoric Egypt as early as 4000 BCE.

Date palms with ripe dates. Northern israel. (Photo:© Zaslavsky Oleg|Dreamstime.com)

The Medicinal Functions of Dates

The function of dates in preventing diseases can be seen in three activities: anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, and anti-inflammatory activities.

As an anti-oxidant, the date fruit contains chemicals like carotenoids and phenolics that interrupts and deactivates free radicals. Free radicals are molecules or atoms with unpaired electrons. They cause damage to other molecules by stealing electrons, causing a chain reaction of instability. Medical experts have agreed that, in managing diseases, suppressing the actions of free radicals is a necessary step to take.

Alright, consider this your exclusive report from the front lines of natural health! Here’s the lowdown on how nature might just be giving modern medicine a run for its money in the fight against bacteria.

The conventional approach to combating bacterial infections has long relied on antibiotics. However, this method frequently comes with a significant cost and can induce undesirable side effects. A growing body of research is now spotlighting natural products and their inherent components as a promising alternative. These natural remedies often present a more economical and equally effective solution, crucially without the associated adverse reactions common with synthetic drugs.

One significant study showed that methanol and acetone extracts derived from the leaves and pits of Phoenix dactylifera effectively inhibited the growth of several fungal pathogens, including F. oxysporum, Fusarium sp., F. solani, A. alternata, and Alternaria sp. Further investigations have corroborated these findings, indicating that methanol and acetone extracts from date palm pits exhibited notable inhibitory effects against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

Another study in the support of dates as anti-inflammatory showed that the leaves of dates can be considered as a good source of natural antioxidant and anti-inflammation drugs

How Dates Prevent Cancer and Diabetes

Cancer’s trademark is a proliferation of cells and an alteration in the normal workings of the genes. However, chemopreventive drugs do not always serve as the best solutions due to their spate of adverse reactions on the patients. The date fruit has constituents that have been found to show anti-tumour activity, that is, they fight irascible proliferation of cells.

Furthermore, various active compounds present in Phoenix Dactylifera Extract (PDE) such as flavenoids, steroids, phenol and saponines, play a role in fighting diabetes. A recent study on flavonoid compounds from date fruits epicarp showed that this compound play a significant role in the improvement of the different biochemical results in diabetic rats.

Treating ailments with drugs can come with unforeseen reactions. At the same time, state-of-the-art technological therapy is not readily available to every patient. After decades of breakneck scientific and technological advancements, experts are now turning to nature for its solutions to humanity’s manifold health problems.