Prunes help build bones, according to research from Florida State University.
“Over my career, I have tested numerous fruits, including figs, dates, strawberries and raisins, and none of them come anywhere close to having the effect on bone density that dried plums, or prunes, have,” said Bahram H. Arjmandi, Florida State’s Margaret A. Sitton Professor and chairman of the Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences in the College of Human Sciences. “All fruits and vegetables have a positive effect on nutrition, but in terms of bone health, this particular food is exceptional.”
Arjmandi and a research team from Florida State University and Oklahoma State University tested two groups of postmenopausal women. Over the course of a month, the first group, which consisted of 55 women, consumed about 10 prunes a day, while the second group of 45 women ate 100 grams of dried apples. All of the participants also received daily doses of calcium and vitamin D.
The group that ate the plums had a significantly higher bone mineral density in the arms and the spine when compared to those who ate dried apples. According to Arjmandi, these results were due to the ability of plums to reduce the breakdown of bones.
“In the first five to seven postmenopausal years, women are at risk of losing bone at a rate of 3 to 5 percent per year,” Arjmandi said.
“However, osteoporosis is not exclusive to women and, indeed, around the age of 65, men start losing bone with the same rapidity as women. Don’t wait until you get a fracture or you are diagnosed with osteoporosis and have to have prescribed medicine. Do something meaningful and practical beforehand. People could start eating two to three dried plums per day and increase gradually to perhaps six to 10 per day. Prunes can be eaten in all forms and can be included in a variety of recipes.”
The study showing that prunes help build bones was published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
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REFERENCES:
1. “No Bones about It: Eating Dried Plums Helps Prevent Fractures and Osteoporosis, Study Suggests.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 26 Aug. 2011. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.
2. “Comparative Effects of Dried Plum and Dried Apple on Bone in Postmenopausal Women.” Cambridge Journals Online. British Journal of Nutrition, Sept. 2011. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.
3. “Got Prunes? Drop the Milk for This Exceptional Bone Builder.” GreenMedInfo.com. GreenMedInfo.com, 27 May 2013. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.
