Consumption of date fruits has a positive impact on the onset and progression of labour, whilst improving infant outcome.
The research involved a controlled clinical study where 89 participants were selected at random. These participants were then divided into three groups with varying consumption levels of date fruits. 26 participants ate date fruits alone, 32 participants consumed date fruits followed by water consumption, whilst the remaining 31 participants served as a control group without any consumption of date fruits.
The study's results showed a notable positive effect on the labour process for those who consumed date fruits. These effects were most significant during the first and third stages of labour. Additionally, improvements were observed in certain well-being indicators for babies, including healthier amniotic fluid, foetal heart rate, presence of caput, and the APGAR score at 5 minutes. However, no noticeable relationship was found between date fruit consumption and other maternal and foetal well-being factors during labour. There were also no significant differences observed in specific labour progression aspects, such as the dilation of the cervix, rupture of membranes, strength and consistency of uterine contractions, tocometric reports, and maternal progression factors. Notably, the infants of mothers who consumed date fruits scored higher on the APGAR test at 5 minutes post-birth.
