Dates help our body in a few ways that research can actually point to, and in several others that get repeated online without any study behind them. This page sticks to the first group. Each claim below links to its source. The bowel trial below used Ajwa dates at the tamr stage, the fully ripe and drier stage, while the 2008 review summarises date composition from over 80 references. So don't assume every trial result carries over to another variety such as Medjool or Mazafati (see Kurma Mazafati Shah Alam).
This is general information, not medical advice. If you have diabetes or another health condition, ask your doctor or a dietitian how dates fit into your diet.
What is in a date
A 2008 review in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition gathered data from over 80 references on date composition (Al-Farsi & Lee, 2008). Ripe dates have flesh that the review found low in fat and protein but rich in sugars, mainly fructose and glucose, and 100 g of flesh provides an average of 314 kcal. That makes dates a dense source of energy, which is worth knowing whether you want quick fuel or are watching how much you eat.
The same review reported ten minerals in dates, the major ones being selenium, copper, potassium and magnesium. Eating 100 g of dates can provide over 15% of the recommended daily allowance of these minerals. B-complex vitamins and vitamin C were the main vitamins found, and dates are a good source of antioxidants, mainly carotenoids and phenolics.
Fibre
Dates are high in dietary fibre, about 8.0 g per 100 g, and most of it is insoluble fibre (Al-Farsi & Lee, 2008). For comparison, the NHS says UK government guidelines call for 30 g of fibre a day, and that most adults only manage about 20 g (NHS). So 100 g of dates covers a little over a quarter of the daily target. You can read more in our page on high-fibre dates and digestion.
Bowel movements and constipation
One small human trial at the University of Reading looked at this directly (Eid et al., 2015). Twenty-two healthy volunteers took part in a randomised cross-over design: each spent 21 days eating seven Ajwa dates a day (about 50 g, tamr stage) and 21 days on a control of maltodextrin-dextrose (37.1 g), with a 14-day washout between the two. After the date period there were significant increases in bowel movements and stool frequency compared with baseline, and stool ammonia went down.
The NHS lists not eating enough fibre, found in fruits, vegetables and cereals, and not drinking enough fluids among the most common causes of constipation in adults. Its advice is to gradually increase the fibre in your diet and drink plenty of water and other fluids (NHS, Constipation). Dates can be one of those fibre sources. If constipation lasts or comes with other symptoms, see a doctor rather than relying on food alone.
Gut bacteria and colon health
The same Reading trial looked for changes in gut bacteria and did not find them. Eating dates "did not induce significant changes in the growth of select bacterial groups" or in short-chain fatty acids. What it did find was that faecal water taken after the date period was significantly less genotoxic in lab assays than after the control period. The authors suggest dates may reduce colon cancer risk, but the study measured lab markers in 21 people over three weeks, not cancer itself (Eid et al., 2015).
Bones
Dates do contain magnesium, copper and selenium, as listed above. The review describes what dates contain; it does not test whether eating them changes bone strength. Treat the minerals as part of an overall diet, not as protection against osteoporosis. For a similar look at minerals in dates, see jenis kurma, iron and anemia.
References
- Al-Farsi MA, Lee CY. Nutritional and functional properties of dates: a review. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2008;48(10):877-87. PMID 18949591
- Eid N, Osmanova H, Natchez C, et al. Impact of palm date consumption on microbiota growth and large intestinal health: a randomised, controlled, cross-over, human intervention study. Br J Nutr. 2015;114(8):1226-36. PMID 26428278
- NHS. How to get more fibre into your diet. nhs.uk
- NHS. Constipation. nhs.uk