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Can a humble fruit shorten labor time by hours and with less induction and less postpartum bleeding?

A randomized, controlled trial of hundreds of pregnant women found that having women eat around six dates a day for a few weeks before giving birth can significantly improve “cervical ripening,” the readiness of the cervix, which is the opening to the birth canal. Drugs and surgery can also prep the cervix; “oxytocin is the most common agent used worldwide,” and you may have heard doctors refer to it by the brand name Pitocin. Although it’s effective, “it is associated with multiple adverse side effects,” which can affect both the mom and the baby. If only there were a safe, simple, side-effect-free solution. Well, dates may fit the bill.

As I discuss in my video Best Food for Labor and Delivery, in the study, the use of oxytocin for inducing labor in the date group decreased to less than half that of the control group. What’s more, the few women on dates who were induced had more successful deliveries. In an earlier study, prior date consumption appeared to shorten labor by more than six hours, and the researchers speculated that dates themselves may have oxytocin-like effects. So, how about a head-to-head trial, comparing the efficacy of dates versus oxytocin in the management of postpartum bleeding?

“Postpartum hemorrhage,” excessive blood loss after birth, “is one of the major complications of pregnancy” and the leading cause of maternal mortality. As the placenta peels off, the uterus is supposed to contract to staunch the bleeding. If it doesn’t, if the uterus doesn’t have sufficient muscle tone, an injection of oxytocin may help squeeze off the blood loss. Like all drugs, though, it can have side effects, such as causing a dangerous drop in blood pressure. There are also various devices that can be inserted to apply pressure to staunch the bleeding, and, if worse comes to worst, surgery could be necessary.

Why not try fruit first? Dates are readily available, inexpensive, and side-effect free—but do they work? Researchers set up a randomized clinical trial to find out. Immediately after their placenta came out, women were given a one-time dose of either five or so dates or an intramuscular shot of oxytocin. Then, the researchers collected all of the blood to determine which worked better.

Overall, three hours after delivery, the average blood loss in the date group was significantly less than in the oxytocin group, by about a quarter cup. At 2:24 in my video, you can see a chart showing that the date group was primarily in the lowest category with less than two-thirds of a cup of blood loss, whereas the oxytocin group mostly lost about a cup or even more. The researchers concluded that “use of oral dates after delivery decreases bleeding more than intramuscular oxytocin and it’s a good alternative in normal delivery.” (Oral dates? How else would you use them?)

If dates have oxytocin-like effects to contract the uterus, thereby shortening labor by helping to “induce earlier uterine contractions,” might date consumption increase the risk of premature labor?

A study looked at the effect of date fruit consumption on the length of gestation. Starting at about 38 weeks, women were randomized to eat seven dates a day or none at all. And, researchers found that eating dates did not affect delivery dates. Consumption of the fruit did, however, significantly reduce the need to induce labor with drugs: Half of the non-date group were induced versus less than 40 percent of women in the group eating just seven dates a day for a week. Induction of labor is serious business. It “can give rise to increased complications, such as bleeding, caesarean section, uterine hyper stimulation and rupture.” And, apart from the complications, women who are induced “tend to be less satisfied with their birth experience.” The researchers found that, therefore, dates consumption in late pregnancy is a safe supplement to be considered as it reduced the need for labour intervention without any adverse effect on the mother and child.”

If only there were a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. We want more than just a randomized trial because the women in the date group obviously knew they were eating dates, which may have had some kind of placebo effect. The only double-blind study I could find on dates and delivery is in Arabic. I read the English abstract of the study, though, which describes how women entering their active labor phase were given a date syrup or placebo. That’s brilliant! It’s hard to make a placebo date, but you could make a placebo syrup out of molasses or another similar liquid. In this study, the researchers used honey date syrup, made from the honey date (not honey and dates). The honey date is a soft, melt-in-your mouth variety of the fruit that’s easily whipped into a syrup. They found that normal labor progression increased in the date group—around 98 percent, compared to less than 70 percent in both the placebo and control groups. And, labor duration was about two hours shorter for those in the date group. So, on your due date, maybe you should give dates their due.

I love topics like this one so much. Think of all of the undiscovered benefits of whole foods that are just waiting for someone to study. Maybe we should start crowd-funding science so it’s not just money-making drugs and devices that get the research dollars. Though, how much more research do we need to start eating healthier?

You may be interested in my video on cervical ripening. Check out Best Food for Late Pregnancy. And, for more on dates, see Flashback Friday: Benefit of Dates for Colon Health.

What effect does mobile phone radiation have on your parotid gland? That’s the topic of my video Do Cell Phones Cause Salivary Gland Tumors?.

A summary of studies found no acute effects of cell phone radiation, such as nausea, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue, but researchers only looked at the short-term effects of mobile phones without considering any of the data on potential long-term effects. Finding no acute effects, they recommended that future research efforts should concentrate on possible chronic effects. You may recall that I explored the studies on brain tumors in my video Does Cell Phone Radiation Cause Cancer? and looked at the effects on the auditory nerve in our ear in The Effects of Cell Phones and Bluetooth on Nerve Function. But, looking at our brain and our ear isn’t enough. What about our parotid glands, the big salivary glands right next to our ear? You can see a diagram at 0:39 in my video. About one in a thousand people develop salivary gland cancer in their lifetime. Does cell phone use increase the chances of parotid gland tumor development?

Researchers had about a hundred people drool into test tubes and found that “[o]ver an hour talking with a cell phone decreases total antioxidant capacity of saliva in comparison with talking less than twenty minutes.” So, considering the major protective role of antioxidants against DNA damage induced by free radicals, which can lead to cancer, this could be a potential route by which cell phone use increases salivary tumor risk. This was just an observational study, though. Perhaps those who spend more time on their phones tend to eat worse diets than those who talk less.

In a more convincing study, researchers found that saliva taken from the salivary gland on the side of the head where participants held their cell phone had higher levels of inflammatory markers compared to saliva taken from the same person on the non-phone side of their head. Now, this increase in inflammation isn’t necessarily from cell phone radiation; it may just be from the heat generated by the phone. Simply pressing anything warm against your face for an hour a day may not be good for your glands.

Do the increased oxidation and inflammation actually translate out into cytogenetic abnormalities—that is, cellular and chromosomal abnormalities—in your mouth? Those who use cell phones a lot do appear to have “an increased number of broken eggs in the tongue.” Eggs? That’s a rather playful description of a cytogenetic abnormality associated with cancer, which you can see at 2:19 in my video. Okay, but what we really care about is  cancer. “Does Cell Phone Use Increase the Chances of Parotid Gland Tumor Development?” is the title of the first systematic review ever published to evaluate this, and the researchers found that cell phone use does appear to be associated with increased risk.

This is a good time to explore absolute risk versus relative risk. If you were asked whether you’d be willing to take a daily pill to reduce your chances of dying from a heart attack by 50 percent, you might jump at it. But, if you’re so young and healthy that your risk of a fatal heart attack is only two in a thousand over the next 10 or 20 years, then taking those 5,000 or so pills may not be worth it to you. Fifty percent sounds great, but if you’re talking about a really rare event, then it’s less exciting. So, even if cell phones did increase risk by 28 percent, then a lifetime of cell phone use would only increase your risk of getting such a tumor from a 1 in 1,400 chance to about a 1 in 1,100 chance.

If you want to reduce your risk, though, both the heat and emissions from cell phones are largely local phenomena, so you can use a speakerphone or headset to reduce exposure. You can also text more and talk less. Until we know more, “the adoption of such precautions, particularly among young people, is advisable.” In fact, there is enough concern that a researcher recommends young children to consider minimizing their use of cell phones altogether.

Today is the start of our annual end-of-year fundraising drive. Year after year, more than half of our entire annual operating budget has been raised around these final few weeks of the year. For the third year in a row, an amazingly generous donor is matching dollar-for-dollar the first $100,000 raised. Make your contributions early to have them doubled! We count on your giving-season generosity to make a tax-deductible donation to keep NutritionFacts.org going and growing.

I may be the face of NutritionFacts.org, but a veritable army of volunteers and now more than a dozen full-time staff members work tirelessly behind the scenes. They help me churn through thousands of studies to stay on top of the science and produce videos, articles, webinars, infographics, guides, and much more, so we can bring you the latest in evidence-based nutrition. Access to even just a single academic database, like Web of Science, can cost up to $16,000 a year. The work we do is only possible because of you.

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Recipe: Baked Grain Loaf with Umami Sauce

 This versatile loaf is a perfect green-light main course for your holiday dinner table. I like to use whatever grains I have on hand––usually my Basic BROL!––and pair this loaf with a side of steamed greens, sweet potatoes, and assorted veggies. Get the free recipe on NutritionFacts.org, and watch a video on how it’s made on our Instagram. 

Key Takeaways: Alcohol

The holidays are a time for celebrating and, for many, that includes cocktails, beer, and wine. But regular consumption of alcohol has some potentially serious side effects…besides the hangover. See how alcohol can impact long-term outlooks on liver health and cancer on our topic page. 

Impact Story: Jay S.  

I love hearing stories of how my work has changed people’s lives. Thank you to Jay for sending in his transformative story. 

“I am a 25-year-old graduate engineering student, originally from India, but I have lived in the UK and USA for about six years now. I have been a vegetarian all my life. I consider myself one of the fittest guys in my peer group, playing soccer for four years at the collegiate level, and I recently completed a half marathon. Soon after, I got my first ever lipid panel test done just because I thought I should have a data point of my health. The results were shocking. My total cholesterol was 286, LDL 168, and triglycerides 402. I was in disbelief. How can someone who runs four times a week and plays soccer have such bad numbers?

Through a family friend, I came across the book How Not to Die. I read that book in two days and listened to every single talk Dr. Greger has on the internet. Soon after, I started following a strict whole food, plant-based diet. I got my lipid panel done again after just two weeks, and all of my numbers improved dramatically: Total cholesterol went from 286 to 230, LDL from 168 to 144, and triglycerides from 402 to 236. I am so thankful to Dr. Greger for his public service, and I have recommended all my friends get a copy of his book and open their eyes to the junk they are eating.”

Top Three Videos

The Potential Harm in Unnecessary Gluten-Free Diets – How might we prevent the inflammation from gluten-free diets?

How to Naturally Reduce Wrinkles with Food – Almonds are put to the test in a ​​randomized controlled trial for facial wrinkles.

Why All Athletes Should Eat Plant-Based Diets – Enhance athletic performance with diet.

Live Q&A

Every month, I do a live Q&A right from my treadmill, and the next one is today, December 15!

At 3 pm ET, tune in on our Facebook page, YouTube channel, or (new!) directly on NutritionFacts.org. You can find links to past live Q&As here on NutritionFacts.org.