Prunes (dried plum) with seeds removed (pitted)

 

Prunes have the highest antioxidant capacity of any fruit or vegetable. The ORAC* for 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of prunes is 5770 which is much higher than the ORAC of an identical serving of raisins (2830), blueberries (2400), kale (1770) and spinach (1260). Prunes are high in fiber to promote a healthy digestive tract.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dried plums improve indices of bone formation in postmenopausal women.

Arjmandi BH, Khalil DA, Lucas EA, Georgis A, Stoecker BJ, Hardin C, Payton ME, Wild RA.

J Womens Health Gend Based Med. 2002 Jan-Feb;11(1):61-8.

Department of Nutritional Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078-6141, USA.

Menopause drastically increases the risk of osteoporosis. Aside from drug therapy, lifestyle and nutritional factors play an important role in the maintenance of skeletal health. Our recent findings suggest that dried plums, a rich source of phenolic and flavonoid compounds, are highly effective in modulating bone mass in an ovarian hormone-deficient rat model of osteoporosis. The objective of this study was to examine whether the addition of dried plums to the diets of postmenopausal women positively influences markers of bone turnover. Fifty-eight postmenopausal women not on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) were randomly assigned to consume either 100 g dried plums or 75 g dried apples daily for 3 months. Both dried fruit regimens provided similar amount of calories, fat, carbohydrate, and fiber. Serum and urinary biochemical markers of bone status were assessed before and after treatment. In comparison with corresponding baseline values, only dried plums significantly increased serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BSAP) activity. Higher levels of both serum IGF-I and BSAP are associated with greater rates of bone formation. Serum and urinary markers of bone resorption, however, were not affected by either dietary regimen. The results of this study suggest that dried plums may exert positive effects on bone in postmenopausal women. Longer duration studies are needed to confirm the beneficial effects of dried plum on bone mineral density (BMD) and the skeletal health of postmenopausal women.

 

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Viewpoint: dried plum, an emerging functional food that may effectively improve bone health.

Hooshmand S, Arjmandi BH.  Ageing Res Rev. 2009 Apr;8(2):122-7.

Department of Nutrition, Food & Exercise Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA.

Osteoporosis is a debilitating disorder that affects both female and male, albeit to a greater extent in women than men. As the demographic shift to a more aged population continues, a growing number of men and women will be afflicted with osteoporosis and a search for potential non-pharmacological alternative therapies for osteoporosis is of prime interest. Aside from existing drug therapies, certain lifestyle and nutritional factors are known to reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Among nutritional factors, recent observations suggest that dried plum, or prunes (Prunus domestica L.) is the most effective fruit in both preventing and reversing bone loss. Animal studies and a 3-month clinical trial conducted in our laboratories have shown that dried plum has positive effects on bone indices. The animal data indicate that dried plum not only protects against but more importantly reverses bone loss in two separate models of osteopenia. Our initial animal study indicated that dried plum prevented the ovariectomy-induced reduction in bone mineral density (BMD) of the femur and lumbar vertebra. In another study, to mimic established osteoporosis, rats were ovariectomized and allowed to lose bone before the initiation of treatment. Dried plum as low as 5% (w/w) restored BMD to the level of intact rats. More importantly, dried plum reversed the loss of trabecular architectural properties such as trabecular number and connectivity density, and trabecular separation. We have also shown the effectiveness of dried plum in reversal of bone loss due to skeletal unloading. Analysis of BMD and trabecular bone structure by microcomputed tomography (microCT) revealed that dried plum enhanced bone recovery during reambulation following skeletal unloading and had comparable effects to parathyroid hormone. In addition to the animal studies, our 3-month clinical trial indicated that the consumption of dried plum daily by postmenopausal women significantly increased serum markers of bone formation, total alkaline phosphatase, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase and insulin-like growth factor-I by 12, 6, and 17%, respectively. This review summarizes the findings of studies published to date which examine the beneficial effects of dried plum on bone in both female and male animal models of osteoporosis as well as the only published clinical study.