They contain health benefiting flavonoid polyphenolic antioxidants known as tannins. Tannins are known to possess anti-infective, anti-inflammatory, and anti-hemorrhagic(prevent easy bleeding tendencies) properties.
Antioxidants are compounds capable of either delaying or inhibiting the oxidation processes. They act as a donor of electron and hydrogen, radical scavenger, peroxide decomposer, singlet oxygen quencher, enzyme inhibitor, synergist, and metal-chelating agents.
Date palm flesh and pits are enriched with certain phenolic and flavonoids, which have multiple effects on human health due to their strong antioxidant properties. Phenolic compounds exhibit a wide spectrum of biochemical activities such as antimicrobial, antimutagenic, anticarcinogenic as well as the ability to modify the gene expression.
Date palm compose antioxidant flavonoids such as ß-carotene, lutein, and zea-xanthin. These antioxidants found to have the ability to protect cells and other structures in the body from harmful effects of oxygen-free radicals. Thus, eating dates found to offer some protection from colon, prostate, breast, endometrial, lung, and pancreatic cancers.
Zeaxanthin is a type of organic pigment called a carotenoid. It is related to vitamin A and found in the human eye (macula and retina) along with lutein, where it thought to provide antioxidant and protective light-filtering functions. It thus offers protection against age-related macular degeneration, especially in elderly populations.
Antioxidants in date palm
