High blood pressure often has no symptoms. However, over time, high blood pressure damages the lining of the blood vessels. It also causes less blood flow to the penis. For some men, less blood flow makes it difficult to get and keep erections. This also can affect ejaculation.
In a new study, researchers suggested that men who have difficulty getting and keeping erections because of hypertension should include dates in their diet. Dates can improve their sexual performance, enhance their sexual stamina and make their sexual life more fulfilling.
Dates are a nutrient-rich type of fruit that may have various health benefits. The vitamin, mineral, fibre, and antioxidant contents of dates make them a nutritious type of food to include in the diet.
The only possible drawback is that they are high in sugar, so people who are trying to moderate their daily calorie intake may wish to limit their intake of dates because they are calorie-dense.
Men with hypertension are almost twice as likely to have impaired penile blood flow and erectile dysfunction compared to men with normal blood pressure, hence increasing their risk of heart disease and death.
High blood pressure damages the walls of blood vessels, causing them to harden and narrow and reducing blood flow to the penis. Erectile dysfunction is an early warning sign of damaged blood vessels.
The sexual performance of the experimental animals was determined, and the hypertensive rats with impaired sexual activities were placed on a date-supplemented diet for 21 days, and the effects of the treatment on the overall sexual behaviour, antioxidant status, oxido-inflammatory biomarkers, and enzyme activity of the purinergic system were assessed.
Findings in this study, according to researchers claims, provide the scientific basis supporting the folkloric use of dates as a key ingredient in aphrodisiac supplements. They, therefore, suggested in the journal “Biomarkers” that dietary inclusion of dates could be useful in managing erectile dysfunction commonly observed in subjects with hypertension.
In traditional African medicine practices, people have been using almonds to treat infertility in men who have difficulty getting and keeping erections.
A scientific review in the Journal of Food Biochemistry also suggested that almond and date fruit-supplemented diets could prevent and reduce erectile dysfunction in individuals with diabetes.
The researchers assessed the influence of almond and date-supplemented diets on copulatory behaviours in normal rats and found that date and almond extracts exerted antioxidant properties, among others. Besides, almond and date-supplemented diets significantly enhanced sexual behaviours in normal rats when compared with the control.
Interestingly, in the study, researchers said treatment with supplemented diets ameliorated the effects. Conclusively, the intake of almonds could prevent the risk of erectile dysfunction in diabetic subjects.
Antioxidants are basically compounds that inhibit the process of oxidation and thereby eliminate the dangerous free radicals that can cause a lot of harm to cells of the body. Oxidation can be very dangerous as it can be very harmful to the structural and genetic integrity of the cells.
They declared that the important compounds present in these fruits can furnish the body with important nutrients for the overall health and wellness of the consumers.
Diarrhoea is well defined as frequent motility of the bowel linked with abnormally loose or watery stools. In some studies, dates might be consumed as an ingredient in daily food products to counter the symptoms of diarrhoea.
Researchers in the International Journal of Food Properties studied the antidiarrheal potential of dates in animal models. They found that the hydro-ethanolic extracts showed the significantly highest protective effect against diarrheal changes in mice.
Date extracts showed a slightly higher inhibition of intestinal contents as compared to that of loperamide control (a conventional worm expellant).
In some studies, consuming dates regularly is compared with taking iron supplements as a treatment for anaemia. The results showed that dates can be used to decrease anaemia by increasing the iron content in haemoglobin.
This is interesting because dates aren’t very high in iron (between 0.24 mg and 3 mg per 100 g), yet they showed comparable results against iron supplements. This may help solve a problem with taking iron supplements regularly for anaemia since these supplements tend to cause constipation.
However, the daily intake of dates varies from one person to another. According to a study, 100 grammes of dates contain 375 calories. The 100-gramme dates are typically equal to four to five medium-sized dates. Hence, consuming three to six medium-sized dates a day reaps maximum benefits.
One can consume dates every day. Mornings are a great time to eat dates to kickstart the day with sweetness and a fibre-rich meal that keeps the gut healthy. However, individuals allergic to dates or who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome should refrain from consuming dates.
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