Dates Prevent Cancer and Heart Disease
Dates have high dietary fiber content (6.5-18 percent). It was found that bedouin Arabs, who have a diet that regularly includes dates, have a very low incidence of cancer and heart disease. Studies have shown that an increased intake of dietary fiber decreases the incidence of cancers such as colon and breast cancer as well as uterus cancer.
Sources
Duke, James A. "Phoenix dactylifera L." 1983. Handbook of Energy Crops.
Elleuch, Mohamed et al. "Date Flesh: Chemical Composition and Characteristics of the Dietary Fibre." Food Chemistry 111 (2008) pp. 676–682.
Moore, Malcolm A., Cheol Beom Park, and Hiroyuki Tsuda. "Soluble and Insoluble Fiber Influences on Cancer Development." Critical Reviews in Oncology: Hematology 27. (1998) pp. 229–242.
Source: IOL
Umm Adam......define Western diseases??!!!!!
There is limited evidence linking dietary fiber to reduced risk of cancer, but it is likely a link exists based on epidemiological evidence.
In the case of breast cancer, the data link a reduced incidence of cancer with dietary fiber intake. However the data only solidly support the link between cancer and dietary fiber from cereals, and not dietary fiber from fruits and vegetables (such as dates).
This is from an article in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
Dietary fibre and risk of breast cancer in the UK Women's Cohort Study
Our results are particularly informative because they also show that fibre from cereals and potentially also from fruit may be the important sources of fibre resulting in this inverse relationship with breast cancer pre-menopausally. Epidemiological studies exploring intakes of fruits and vegetables and risk of breast cancer have shown conflicting results. A meta-analysis of 26 cohort and case-control studies found no association with fruit and breast cancer risk although there was an inverse relationship with vegetable consumption.1 A pooled analysis of eight cohorts found no significant relationship between fruit or vegetable intakes and risk of breast cancer.34 However, the amounts and specific types of fruits and vegetables consumed may influence results obtained. A case-control study from France has shown that cereal fibre is protective against breast cancer with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.56 (95% CI 0.31–1.03) comparing the top (>5.6 g/day) with the bottom quintile (3 g/day) of intake and with a significant test for trend (P = 0.03).30,33 Our cohort had a much wider range of intakes of cereal fibre than in that study.
http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/dyl295v1
I would say that there are many reasons bedouins are healthier, not that dates are the reason. They generally eat healthier (less chemical-laden food), their lifestyles are not sedentary, they get plenty of sunlight and they don't put nasty chemicals on their skin. You can't always conclude because of A then B. I'm sure there are many reasons why they don't get "western" diseases.
yes, but its ok cos you'll die from the diabetes first.....
thanks for the info,but what about developing diabetes later in life?
Dates have a high glycemic index. In short, it's not good for diabetics. As we all know heart disease is one of the complications of diabetis.
Real.. Wat abt diabetic patients?..........Dates are very sweet no?
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welcome bro.
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