The date palm, Phoenix dactylifera, takes its species name from the Latin for “date-bearing,” and the word date itself comes from the Greek daktylos, which means finger. It is one of the oldest cultivated fruit plants of the hot, dry regions of the Old World, yet its wild ancestor was only reported in 2017, in remote mountains in Oman.
Date seeds can wait a very long time. Researchers germinated a seed from Masada, in Israel, that was radiocarbon-dated to the first century, and later grew seven palms from seeds dated between the fourth century BCE and the second century CE. Their genomes show these Judean palms already carried genes from the Cretan palm, Phoenix theophrasti.
A date is also one of the sweetest fruits we eat. USDA data lists 66.5 g of sugars per 100 g of Medjool dates, and 133 kcal in 2 dates (48 g). Even so, in glycemic index tests dates mostly scored between 29 and 55, though one Saudi variety reached 74.6, and the trials below ask two practical questions: do dates harm blood sugar, and do they make labor easier?
Health benefits of dates
The top findings from 27 studies, strongest evidence first
What the stars mean
- Strong. Several randomized trials, pooled in a meta-analysis, point the same way, or regulators (FDA or EFSA) have approved the claim.
- Moderate. Good randomized trials support it, but there are fewer of them, or their results vary.
- Limited. Small, short or single trials, or mixed results. Promising, but it needs confirmation.
Population and lab studies get no stars: they show a link or a mechanism, not proof.
How we rate evidence →- ★★Blood sugar control stayed the same in diabetesIn two trials in people with type 2 diabetes, HbA1c (average blood sugar) did not change. Fasting glucose also stayed the same with 60 g of dates a day for 12 weeks.
- ★★Slightly lower total cholesterol in type 2 diabetesEating 3 dates a day for 16 weeks lowered total cholesterol by 0.2 mmol/L in 100 people with type 2 diabetes. A pooling of 4 trials also found lower total cholesterol, but not LDL, HDL or triglycerides.
- ★Possibly shorter labor, though trials are weakDates in late pregnancy: one pooling found the first stage of labor about 50 minutes shorter, another a shorter active phase but no stage changes. Authors call the evidence weak or at high risk of bias.
- ★Glycemic index around 46 to 55 in testsThe glycemic index (a score for how fast a food raises blood sugar) was 46 to 55 for five date varieties in healthy people. Seventeen Saudi varieties averaged 55, ranging from 43 to 75.
- ★More bowel movementsIn 22 healthy adults, about 50 g of dates (seven dates) a day for 3 weeks increased bowel movements and lowered stool ammonia.
All 27 studies, strongest evidence first
Eating 3 dates a day for 16 weeks lowered total cholesterol by 0.2 mmol/L in people with type 2 diabetes, with no change in HbA1c
Randomized trial in 100 people with type 2 diabetes, comparing three dates a day with avoiding dates. LDL fell 0.17 mmol/L but that drop was not statistically significant, and HbA1c stayed the same. Quality-of-life scores rose in the date group.
60 g of dates a day for 12 weeks did not change HbA1c or fasting glucose in people with type 2 diabetes
Randomized trial in 79 people, of whom 61 finished, comparing 60 g of dates with 60 g of raisins of the same glycemic index. Insulin resistance, blood lipids, blood pressure and CRP did not change either. The authors read this as no harm to blood sugar control, and no extra benefit.
Eating 3/4 cup a day of mixed dried fruit that included dates for 4 weeks did not improve LDL cholesterol or other risk factors in adults at raised risk
Randomized crossover trial in 55 adults with extra weight and at least one more risk factor. The mix was plums, figs, dates and raisins, so this is dried fruit as a group, not dates alone. Fasting glucose was 0.08 mmol/L higher than on a matched snack, and weight did not differ.
In a review of 48 studies, dates eaten in late pregnancy shortened gestation and labor and reduced the need for induction
Meta-analysis of parallel-group trials, randomized and not, of dates eaten in the last trimester, in labor or after birth. Dates also raised cervical dilatation on admission and the Bishop score, a measure of how ready the cervix is. The authors rate the overall evidence quality as unacceptable and most studies as high risk of bias, and safety was recorded in only four trials.
Date fruit in late pregnancy shortened the first stage of labor by about 50 minutes and raised cervical dilation on admission
Meta-analysis of 8 trials (11 in the review), scored with the Jadad scale. Gestation was also shorter (pooled effect size -0.30). The second stage was shorter in a fixed-effects model but not in the random-effects analysis, so that result is not firm.
Date fruit shortened the active phase of labor and raised the Bishop score but did not change the cesarean rate
Meta-analysis of 8 randomized trials. Three trials (380 women) found a shorter active phase, though results differed widely between trials (I2 of 89%), and two trials (320 women) found a Bishop score 2.45 points higher. The first, second and third stages did not change. The authors call study quality low to moderate.
Women who ate dates before delivery needed labor induction or augmentation less often (relative risk 0.6)
Meta-analysis of 4 studies. Women who ate dates were admitted with a cervix 1.1 cm wider and had a latent phase 4.6 hours shorter. The authors call the included studies weak because of a high risk of bias.
Eating 70 to 76 g of dates a day from week 37 shortened the active, second and third phases of labor in first-time mothers
Randomized trial of 182 women having their first baby, 91 who ate dates and 91 who did not. Oxytocin to speed up labor was also used less often in the date group. Women recorded their own daily date intake on a checklist.
Dates eaten at term reduced the need for labor augmentation but did not bring labor on sooner
Randomized trial of 154 first-time mothers with uncomplicated pregnancies, 77 eating dates and 77 as controls. The date group also had a longer interval between starting the intervention and delivery. The onset of spontaneous labor did not differ significantly.
Ripe (rutab) dates eaten at the start of labor had a positive effect on the first and third stages but not on cervical dilatation
Randomized trial of 89 women: 26 ate dates alone, 32 ate dates followed by water and 31 were controls. Babies of the date groups had better 5-minute Apgar scores. Most other maternal and fetal measures showed no link with dates.
Women who ate six dates a day for the last 4 weeks of pregnancy arrived in labor with a cervix 3.52 cm wide against 2.02 cm
Prospective study, not randomized, of 69 women who ate dates and 45 who ate none. Spontaneous labor happened in 96% against 79%, prostin or oxytocin was used in 28% against 47%, and the latent phase lasted 510 against 906 minutes. The authors call for a randomized trial.
100 g of dates two hours after birth lowered blood loss in the first 24 hours after a vaginal delivery
Randomized trial in 98 women, with blood loss scored on a pictorial chart. The median score was 35.0 with dates and 39.0 without, and the estimated difference was 9.0 units (95% CI 2.0 to 18.0). The authors recommend similar studies to confirm it.
Mothers who ate 10 dates a day for 4 weeks had a 23% increase in breast milk quantity measured with a pump
Randomized trial of 48 breastfeeding mothers with babies aged 1 to 3 months, 25 eating dates and 23 as controls. Milk quantity rose 11% by week 2 and was higher than in the control group, but infant weight-for-age did not differ. The trial was small and short.
In people with diabetes, dates lowered fasting glucose and left HbA1c unchanged in a small meta-analysis
Meta-analysis of 10 cohorts from 5 full-text studies. Results differed a lot between studies (heterogeneity of 79% for fasting glucose and 92% for glucose after meals), and the author says the small number of studies limits the findings.
In people with type 2 diabetes, dates lowered total cholesterol but not LDL, HDL or triglycerides
Meta-analysis of 14 cohorts from 4 randomized trials (298 people). Results differed widely between studies (I2 of 90% for total cholesterol), and the LDL change just missed significance (P = 0.08). The authors ask for larger studies.
Eating 100 g of dates a day for 4 weeks lowered triglycerides by 8 to 15% in healthy adults, with no rise in blood glucose
Pilot study in 10 healthy people who ate Medjool or Hallawi dates. Total, LDL, HDL and VLDL cholesterol and BMI did not change. Markers of oxidative stress improved only with the Hallawi variety, not Medjool.
Five date varieties had a glycemic index of 46 to 55 in healthy people, and similar values in people with type 2 diabetes
Acute trial in 13 healthy people and 10 with type 2 diabetes, each eating a portion with 50 g of available carbohydrate. Values in healthy people ran from 46.3 (Bo ma’an) to 55.1 (Khalas), and from 43.8 to 53.0 in people with diabetes. Varieties did not differ significantly.
Seventeen Saudi date varieties had an average glycemic index of 55, ranging from 43 to 75
Trial in 19 healthy people (ten men and nine women) who each ate a portion with 50 g of available carbohydrate, using dates at the tamer (final ripening) stage. Sellaj was highest at 74.6 and Shaqra lowest at 42.8. GI did not differ significantly between varieties, but glycemic load did, from 8.5 to 24.
Khalas dates had a glycemic index of 28.9 to 47.2 alone or with yogurt
Experiment in healthy adults aged 32 to 67 who ate rutab (soft, ripe), traditionally stored and commercial tamer (dry) dates, alone and with plain full-milk yogurt. The three dates alone scored 47.2, 45.3 and 35.5. The authors say yogurt had at most a minimal effect on GI.
In 10 healthy adults, dates had a glycemic index lower than white bread, but the difference was not statistically significant
Acute crossover trial of four dried fruits against white bread (GI 71). Only dried apricots, raisins and sultanas showed a significant effect on GI. When dates replaced half the carbohydrate in the bread, GI fell but not significantly. Some authors report research funding from dried fruit trade groups.
Seven dates a day for 3 weeks increased bowel movements and lowered stool ammonia without changing gut bacteria groups
Randomized crossover trial in 22 healthy adults, comparing about 50 g of dates with a maltodextrin-dextrose control for 21 days each, with a 14-day washout. Genotoxicity of fecal water, a lab marker linked to colon cancer risk, was also lower after dates. It did not measure cancer.
Girls with iron deficiency anemia who ate dates for 2 months raised hemoglobin from 11.19 to 12.05 g/dL
Before-and-after study in 31 primary school girls aged 8 to 10 in Zahedan, Iran. Hematocrit and ferritin rose too. With no control group, the changes cannot be credited to dates alone.
Eating one date lowered saliva pH only to 6.26 to 6.45, not as low as the critical level for teeth
Small study in 15 children aged 6 to 15 who ate one date of five varieties over 5 days, with grapefruit and a cotton pellet as controls. The lowest pH came after Khalas. It tested one date at a time, not a long-term habit.
Fasting blood glucose did not change in 387 healthy people after Ramadan, when Medjool dates are eaten more
People were compared with themselves before and after Ramadan, and the abstract does not say how many dates they ate. In the same paper, 21 mice given a Medjool extract for one month also had unchanged fasting glucose, but gained weight.
About 13% of people with allergies reacted to date extracts in skin prick tests
Skin prick tests with extracts of eight date varieties in an allergy-prone group, followed by blood tests for IgE antibodies. People allergic to pollen or other fruit also reacted, which suggests shared allergens. The authors call date a potent allergen, but the group was not the general public.
Extracts of nine Israeli date varieties all inhibited the oxidation of LDL in test tubes
Lab study of ethanol and acetone extracts of nine varieties, including Medjool and Deglet Noor. Most extracts also stimulated cholesterol removal from macrophages, a type of immune cell. Potency differed a lot between varieties, and acetone extracts were stronger. It was not done in people.
An Ajwa date extract lowered LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in rats fed a cholesterol-rich diet
Study in rats, not people. Doses of 25, 50 and 100 mg of date polyphenol extract per kilogram of body weight also lowered body and liver weight and raised HDL cholesterol and antioxidant enzyme activity. It used an extract, not whole dates.
Who should be careful with dates
Most people can eat dates freely. Take a little care if one of these applies:
- Diabetes or blood sugar problems. Medjool dates hold 66.5 g of sugars per 100 g. In trials in type 2 diabetes, 3 dates a day for 16 weeks and 60 g a day for 12 weeks did not change HbA1c, but the trials were small. Keep portions steady and check with your care team.
- Kidney disease. The National Kidney Foundation lists dates (5 whole) among higher-potassium fruits, and Medjool dates have 696 mg of potassium per 100 g. If your doctor limits your potassium, ask how many dates fit.
- Late pregnancy. The labor trials used about 6 dates a day and the evidence is weak. Dates are sweet and high in calories, so talk to your midwife or doctor first, especially with gestational diabetes.
How to choose, store and eat dates
- Ripeness stage: the glycemic studies used rutab (soft, ripe) and tamer (dry) dates, and one study found a glycemic index of 47.2 for rutab and 35.5 for commercial tamer dates.
- Variety: across 17 Saudi varieties the glycemic index ran from 42.8 (Shaqra) to 74.6 (Sellaj), so the variety changes the blood sugar response.
- Portion: trials used 3 dates a day, 60 g a day, 7 dates (about 50 g) a day, and 6 dates a day in the last 4 weeks of pregnancy.
NDSU Extension advises choosing dates with good flavor and a tender texture for freezing, then washing and splitting them to remove the pits and packing them dry with some headspace. Nebraska Extension gives dried fruit in general 6 months unopened in the pantry and 1 month once opened.
Sources
- Potassium and your CKD diet. National Kidney Foundation.
- Freezing fruits. NDSU Extension.
- Home food storage. University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension.
- Dates, medjool (FDC ID 168191). USDA FoodData Central.
- Alalwan TA, Perna S, Mandeel QA, et al. Effects of daily low-dose date consumption on glycemic control, lipid profile, and quality of life in adults with pre- and type 2 diabetes: a randomized controlled trial. Nutrients. 2020.
- Butler AE, Obaid J, Wasif P, et al. Effect of date fruit consumption on the glycemic control of patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomized clinical trial. Nutrients. 2022.
- Al-Kuran O, Al-Mehaisen L, Bawadi H, Beitawi S, Amarin Z. The effect of late pregnancy consumption of date fruit on labour and delivery. J Obstet Gynaecol. 2011.
- 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.
- Miller CJ, Dunn EV, Hashim IB. The glycaemic index of dates and date/yoghurt mixed meals. Are dates ‘the candy that grows on trees’? Eur J Clin Nutr. 2003.
- AlGeffari MA, Almogbel ES, Alhomaidan HT, El-Mergawi R, Barrimah IA. Glycemic indices, glycemic load and glycemic response for seventeen varieties of dates grown in Saudi Arabia. Ann Saudi Med. 2016.
History of dates
Nobody knows exactly where the date was first farmed. Wikipedia’s summary lists the Fertile Crescent, the Persian Gulf area and western India as candidates, with evidence of cultivation in Arabia from the sixth millennium BCE and from Mehrgarh, in present-day Pakistan, from around 7000 BCE.
The wild ancestor stayed a mystery until researchers found wild date palms in remote mountains of Oman, reported in 2017. Their genomes showed that African date palms draw on at least two wild sources, so the date’s domestication was complicated. A 2015 study of 62 cultivars found a major genetic divide between North Africa and the Middle East and South Asia.
Date seeds can survive for a very long time. A seed from Masada, radiocarbon-dated to the first century, was germinated and described in 2008, and its seedling grew normally over 26 months. Wikipedia says seven ancient seeds have now sprouted, with palms named Methuselah, Hannah, Adam and others.
A 2021 genome study of those palms found that the oldest, from the fourth to the first century BCE, were related to modern West Asian dates, while later ones looked more like North African palms. It also found that the Cretan palm had already mixed into the date’s gene pool about 2,400 to 2,000 years ago.
The English word comes from the Greek daktylos, finger, through Latin and Old French, and Old English had its own name, fingeræppel, or finger apple. The large, soft Medjool comes from the Tafilalt region of Morocco, and its Arabic name, tamar al-majhūl, means date of the unknown. In the 1920s eleven Medjool palms were taken from Morocco to the United States, and nine survived.
Dates also carry meaning. Breaking the Ramadan fast with a date is traditional, and the Quran (19:22 to 25) tells of Mary being told to eat dates during labor pains. World production reached 9.9 million tonnes in 2024, and Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Algeria and Iran together grew 63% of it.
Sources
- Date palm. Wikipedia.
- Medjool. Wikipedia.
- Gros-Balthazard M, Galimberti M, Kousathanas A, et al. The discovery of wild date palms in Oman reveals a complex domestication history involving centers in the Middle East and Africa. Curr Biol. 2017.
- Hazzouri KM, Flowers JM, Visser HJ, et al. Whole genome re-sequencing of date palms yields insights into diversification of a fruit tree crop. Nat Commun. 2015.
- Sallon S, Solowey E, Cohen Y, et al. Germination, genetics, and growth of an ancient date seed. Science. 2008.
- Gros-Balthazard M, Flowers JM, Hazzouri KM, et al. The genomes of ancient date palms germinated from 2,000 y old seeds. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021.
Frequently asked questions about dates
Are dates good for you?
Mostly yes, with a sugar caveat. Two Medjool dates (48 g) have 133 kcal, 3.2 g of fiber and 31.9 g of sugars. In trials in type 2 diabetes, dates did not worsen blood sugar control, and three a day lowered total cholesterol by 0.2 mmol/L in one. No finding here reaches strong evidence.
Are dates good for diabetics?
They can fit, but portions matter. Glycemic index tests gave averages of 46 to 55 for five varieties and 55 across 17 Saudi varieties, and this site lists 52, though Sellaj reached 74.6. In a 79-person trial, 60 g a day for 12 weeks did not change HbA1c in type 2 diabetes. Check portions with your care team.
How many calories and how much sugar are in a date?
Two Medjool dates (48 g) have 133 kcal and 31.9 g of sugars, so one date has roughly 67 kcal and 16 g. Per 100 g the figures are 277 kcal, 66.5 g of sugars and 6.7 g of fiber. Most of the sugar is glucose (33.7 g) and fructose (32 g), with very little sucrose (0.53 g).
Do dates help induce labor?
Possibly a little, but the evidence is weak. Four meta-analyses link dates in late pregnancy to a wider cervix on admission and less need for induction or augmentation (relative risk 0.6), but they rest on small trials with a high risk of bias. A 154-woman trial found dates did not bring labor on sooner. Ask your midwife or doctor first.
How many dates can you eat a day?
No study here sets an ideal amount. Trials used 3 dates a day for 16 weeks in type 2 diabetes, 60 g a day for 12 weeks, 7 dates (about 50 g) a day for 3 weeks and 100 g a day for 4 weeks in healthy adults. At 133 kcal per 2 dates the calories add up, so count them in your day.
Are dates good for cholesterol?
Not clearly. Three dates a day lowered total cholesterol by 0.2 mmol/L in a 100-person trial in type 2 diabetes, and 100 g a day lowered triglycerides by 8 to 15% in 10 healthy adults. But a 79-person trial and a trial of mixed dried fruit found no LDL improvement, and a meta-analysis of four diabetes trials found lower total cholesterol only.
Do dates help with constipation?
Possibly, but no trial here tested constipation itself. In 22 healthy adults, 7 dates a day for 21 days increased bowel movements and stool frequency compared with baseline. Dates also have 6.7 g of fiber per 100 g, or 3.2 g in 2 dates.
Are dates good for weight loss?
No study here tested weight loss. Dates have 277 kcal per 100 g, and in a 55-person crossover trial 3/4 cup a day of mixed dried fruit did not change weight compared with a matched snack. Whether dates help depends on what they replace and how many you eat.