Dates aren’t the most attractive fruit, but they certainly are sweet and nutritious. Studies show that this amazing fruit has approximately over a dozen beneficial ways of helping your body heal, and they are shown to prevent and/or help treat about 40 different health conditions (1). And as it turns out, dates are also one of the best foods for heart health.
Dates For Heart Health
The health benefits of dates start with your body’s most vital organ.
1. Prevent Atherosclerosis
Israeli researchers discovered that eating dates once a day can protect you from developing atherosclerosis, a major cause of heart attacks and strokes (2). Atherosclerosis is a hardening of the arteries caused by high cholesterol (3).
Researchers of the study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, showed that eating 3.75 ounces of dates daily for just four weeks can decrease your triglyceride (fats) levels 15 percent while also reducing the amount of oxidation of fats in your blood by as much as 33 percent, all without raising your blood sugar levels.
2. Lower Blood Pressure
A Harvard Medical School study also says that dates are one of the foods that can help to lower blood pressure.
“Rigorous trials show that eating strategies such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, DASH variants like the OmniHeart diet, and Mediterranean-type diets reduce blood pressure in people with hypertension (high blood pressure) and those headed in that direction.”
They recommend eating 8 servings (about a half pound) of dates a week (4).
3. Prevent Stroke
Dates are also a good source of potassium, which researchers know is linked to heart health. In particular, Medjool dates provide 20 percent of your recommended daily intake (RDI) of potassium per 100 gram serving (5).
One study showed that healthy women who eat around 3,200 mg of potassium a day have a 21 percent lower risk of stroke (6).
8 More Amazing Health Benefits Of Dates
Eat a handful a day for best results!
1. Prevent Anemia
Iron is a key component of hemoglobin in red blood cells, which are responsible for carrying oxygen to all the other cells of your body. Iron deficiency can cause anemia, a difficult condition to manage (7).
Dates contain significant amounts of iron, which is obviously key for preventing and treating this condition, especially in children and pregnant women.
This delicious fruit contains about 0.90 mg of iron for every 100 grams. That translates into about 11 percent of your RDI.
2. Treat Constipation
The significant potassium content in dates, as well as the high levels of soluble fiber in the fruit, can treat constipation (8). Dates are essentially a perfect and tasty digestive regulator!
