Surprising Effects of Eating Prunes

With a deep red-brown color, and a satisfying chewy texture, a sweet (but not too sweet) taste, and an extended period, it’s understandable why people might want to incorporate prunes into their diet a day. However, while prunes could also be known for offering some severe constipation relief, there’s much more to those perfectly portable and versatile fruits than helping people attend to the toilet.

Prunes pack a clock in the nutrition department and contain essential nutrients that provide some significant health benefits.

You may help to prevent bone loss.

According to the recent study conducted by Pennsylvania State University, eating prunes a day prevented bone loss at the hip and guarded against increased fracture risk in postmenopausal women. Specifically, the ladies who ate 50 grams of prunes (5 to six prunes) daily for 12 months preserved hip bone mineral density at 6 & 12 months. Conversely, total hip bone mineral density decreased among those who didn’t eat prunes a day at equivalent time points.

Prunes contain many bone health-supporting nutrients, with vitamin K, magnesium, calcium, and boron. Plus, they contain phenolic compounds, which can block bone resorption and support bone formation.

While these new results are promising, the findings presented should be considered preliminary until a peer-reviewed publication. Nevertheless, they increase the body of research supporting prunes for bone health.

You may have digestive benefits.

This one shouldn’t come as a surprise, but as prunes are many people’s go-to food once they need some natural constipation relief. Not only there a source of fiber, but prunes also contain a natural laxative called sorbitol, which may offer some severe constipation relief surely populations.

You may experience heart health benefits.

Eating just 5 to six prunes daily may increase HDL “good” cholesterol, lower inflammation, and increase antioxidant activity—all positive outcomes involving heart health support. Data also showed that consuming pectin, and a soluble fiber found in foods like prunes, slowed the thickening of artery walls caused by the plaque formation, another positive outcome when supporting heart health.

You may feel full longer.

Although most fruits contain natural sugars, and eating these nutritious foods is linked to weight reduction, partially thanks to the fiber these foods provide, which offers a satiating effect. Because prunes contain:

Three grams of fiber per serving.
Eating them a day may help curb your appetite.
Thus supporting weight management goals.

You may have good blood sugar control.

Prunes are more likely to end in a more stable blood sugar response after they’re enjoyed because of their lower glycemic index and fiber content. Therefore, as long as proper serving sizes are observed, including prunes during a diabetes-friendly diet is often a positive addiction that will likely not end in any adverse effects when blood glucose management.

You may feel gassy.

If you’re not won’t to eat foods that contain sorbitol, like prunes, you’ll feel gassy and bloated if you eat them a day. Consistent with one study comparing people that ate an excessive number of prunes versus those that ate a prune-free diet, and the prune-consuming group experienced more gas than those that didn’t eat this fruit. Because the number of prunes provided during this study was quite what a typical serving size of prunes is, we will not say, needless to say, if people will experience gas if they stick with the recommended 5 to six prunes a day.