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Date palm seed increases testosterone levels
A month ago, we wrote about a study from Egypt in which tea made from ground roasted date seeds increased the testosterone levels of lab rats. Was that study an oddity? Nice to write a post about, but not relevant to the supplement industry? To be honest, that was our first impression. But from a stack of studies that we recently received, it appears that there are indeed hormonally active substances in date seeds...
Study
One of the studies in question dates from 1999, and comes from a laboratory at United Arab Emirates University. It is an animal study designed to determine whether adding date seed flour to animal feed could increase livestock farmers' yields.
The researchers experimented with male Wistar rats, some of which were fed feed to which the researchers had added ground date seeds for 4 weeks.
In some rats, the date seeds had been prepared with acid. In this post, we disregard that part of the study.
Some of the animals in the experimental group received chow that consisted of 7 percent date seeds. Another part was given feed that consisted of 14 percent date-seed flour.
Results
Date seed supplementation did not affect estradiol levels, but did increase the testosterone concentration in the blood of the rats in the 14 percent group. In the latter group, the researchers also saw a significant increase in body weight.
Side effects?
The researchers found no effect of date seeds on LH levels. Thus, it is unlikely that the increase in testosterone concentration and testes weight is due to mild anti-androgenic effect substances in dates. The researchers also found no abnormalities in the rats' organs.
In the publication, the researchers also describe experiments on young female rats, which were designed to detect estrogenic effects. Those effects were non-existent.
Source:
Food Chem. 1999; 66:437-41.
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