Nasrin Pado and Asmee Doloh English Major, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Fatoni University DATE PALM in Healthcare Applications Utilizing
C o nt e nt Antioxidants Activities Anti cancer Activities Cardiovascular risk Reduction
INTRODUCTION Nowadays numerous herbs and plants and their species are consumed as food in our daily lives because of their effectiveness and preventive nature towards our health. The Phoenix Dactylifera Linn. is a most common plant usually known as date palm, belonging to the family Arecaceae, and is widely known for its traditional as well as medicinal value (Manda, 2022). Date palms, according to the prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), are the best assets; dates cure a variety of illnesses (Naureen and others, 2022). Therefore, the date palm is used in several kinds of healthcare applications. Page 01
Firstly, antioxidant activities are one kind of healthcare application in utilizing date palms. Antioxidants play a pivotal role in food systems, human body cells, and tissues by protecting against oxidative damage of toxic molecules called free radicals. The date palm not only has a strong antioxidant activity that shields people from oxidative stress since they are evolved to grow in arid climates but also acts as a free radical scavengers, stopping oxidation processes and breaking down free radical connections, preventing lipid oxidation, especially Ajwa (Naureen and others, 2022). Page 01 Date palm fruit extract has a substantial neuroprotective impact against cerebral ischemia and consequent reperfusion due to its antioxidant activity. Moreover, the date palm fruit is rich in a source of phenolic compounds and also possesses extremely high and strong antioxidant capabilities (Al-okbi, 2022; Al-Mssallem, 2020). Al-Mssallem said that the antioxidant activity in the Khalas cultivar was higher than that in the other cultivars. This high antioxidant activity is linked to components like selenoprotein, anthocyanins, phenolic, and flavonoid compounds. Extract from this fruit exhibits significant neuroprotective effects against cerebral ischemia and reperfusion, mainly due to its potent antioxidants. This hints at potential therapeutic uses for tackling cerebral ischemia-related concerns (Al-okbi, 2022). ANTIOXIDANTS ACTIVITIES Page 02
Page 03 ANTI CANCER ACTIVITIES Secondly, another application of utilizing date palm in healthcare is anticancer activities. Dates have been found to reduce cancerous cell growth, with methanolic extracts from Ajwa dates resisting marginal cell proliferation in various tumor lines and also sowing potent anticancer activities against hepatocellular carcinoma and prostate cancer (Idowu and others, 2020;López and others, 2022). Additionally, Mabroom dates have antibacterial and antifungal characteristics that inhibit the growth of cancer (Naureen and others, 2022). Zhang et al. reported that methanolic date extracts (100 μg/mL) were able to inhibit cell proliferation in several tumor cell lines (López and others, 2022). Eating dates can enhance colon health by increasing beneficial gut bacteria growth, and reducing tumor cell procreation (Idowu and others, 2020). According to research, consuming 7 dates daily for three weeks has significantly due to improve microbiota and colonic short-chain fatty acids, potentially lowering the incidence of colorectal cancer and reducing genotoxicity in human fecal water (cancer risk reduction indicator) without inducing changes in the microbiota (Al-okbi, 2022; López and others, 2022). Although the mechanisms of action of dates in cancer prevention are not exactly known, it is widely accepted that their richness in bioactive compounds such as quercetin, luteolin, apigenin, proanthocyanidins, and other polyphenols can be effective against cancer. In addition, other properties associated with these bio-compounds present in date fruits, such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, are also related to cancer prevention (López and others, 2022).
Page 03 CARDIOVASCULAR RISK REDUCTION Lastly, utilizing date palms has been shown to reduce cardiovascular risk reduction. As we know, high sugar-high saturated fat diets can lead to obesity, hypercholesterolemia, insulin resistance, and fatty liver diseases, which are the leading cause of death worldwide; known as cardiovascular diseases (Al-okbi, 2022). According to Naureen and others, Ajwa dates help strengthen the heart and enhance heart function, which is important because heart attacks are on the rise. Magnesium, vitamin B, and other heart-healthy nutrients are found in the palm fruit. Since Aseel date variety, date seed, and date fruit extracts have shown hepatoprotective and antihyperlipidemic effects in rats fed high sugarhigh saturated fat diets. Aseel variety suspension reduced triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL-C, and HDL-C by 56%, while date seed fibers reduced plasma concentrations. In the same way, the date fruit extract showed hepatoprotective activity due to phenolic compounds, and coumarin derivatives in DPS extract inhibited lipid synthesis, making it a popular treatment for lipid lowering and cardioprotective effects (Al-okbi, 2022). In addition, date fruit is rich in polyphenols, particularly flavonoids, certain micronutrients, and dietary fiber, which can impact vascular health, and have the potential to attenuate vascular disease in humans. This leads to emerging data that supports the notion that intake of date fruit and extracts can be a useful component of a healthy lifestyle for those seeking beneficial effects on vascular health (Al-Dashti and others, 2021). Page 04
CONCLUSION Page 05 To summarize, date palm is one of plants that physicians use in medicine because of their variety of nutraceutical effectiveness especially medicinal potential; it can cure diseases. Ajwa, Khalas and Mabroom are date palm that most people consume. Eating the right amount and portion of dates not only promotes good health but also helps to keep the body strong, against disease. Moreover, eating dates while breaking fasting is considered Sunnah (following the way of the Prophet (PBUH). Let’s change eating from dietary supplements to date palms instead to promote good health.
Al-Dashti, Yousef A, and others. 2021. “Date Palm Fruit (Phoenix dactylifera): Effects on Vascular Health and Future Research Directions” International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 22(9), 4665. May [Online] Retrieved August 4, 2023 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8125345/? fbclid=IwAR2cQhBnwZp_plr_qQAfrLOpWbMmPQyDk2YtyQjMKIHd13x3AKO1aanEIBc Idowu, Anthony T. and others. 2020. “Dates palm fruits: A review of their nutritional components, bioactivities and functional food applications.” AIMS Agriculture and Food. 5(4), 734–755. October 13 [Online] Retrieved August 12, 2023 from http://www.aimspress.com/journal/agriculture López, Juana F. and others.2022. “Biological, Nutritive, Functional and Healthy Potential of Date Palm Fruit (Phoenix dactylifera L.): Current Research and Future Prospects” 208 MDPI Journals Awarded Impact Factor. 12(4). April 3 [Online] Retrieved August 22, 2023 form https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/12/4/876? fbclid=IwAR3BdRTSZVEHJSEKTqlU1ZRSNdr4sarOIV-22PxI38cK0JMm0alzv6tvCf4 BIBLIOGRAPHY Page 06
Manda K, Joshi B.C, and Dobhal Y. 2022. “Phytopharmacological Review on Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera)” Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 261-267. March-April [Online] Retrieved August 3, 2023 from https://www.ijpsonline.com/articles/phytopharmacological-review-on-date-palm-emphoenix-dactyliferaem.pdf Al-Mssallem, Muneera. 2020. “The Role of Date Palm Fruit in Improving Human Health” Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research. 14(1). January [Online] Retrieved August 4, 2023 from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338355788_The_Role_of_Date_Palm_Fruit_in_Improving_Human_Health Naureen, Irum and others.2022. “Potential Health Benefit of Dates Based on Human Intervention Studies: A Brief Overview” Haya: The Saudi Journal of Life Sciences. 101-111. March 25 [Online] Retrieved August 3, 2023 from https://saudijournals.com/media/articles/SJLS_73_101-111.pdf Al-Okbi, Sahar Y. 2022. “Date Palm as Source of Nutraceuticals for Health Promotion: a Review” Contemporary Endocrinology. 11, 574-591. September 20 [Online] Retrieved August 2, 2023 from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13668-022-00437-w?fbclid=IwAR0kZ3sDAvzYFYnGvljgj_M8uChP419EjXe9F4- hw0GwEDC0laezAfYjsLs_aem_ATIwfAIeVcCyDaTmUED4nc0MTx2dhVYLDclz5bS0xrSQcKjOZ0PIJ7hETmRcgIh1p24 Page 07
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