Prunes A Bone Health Super Star

1. Previous clinical trials in postmenopausal women have shown the promising effects that daily prune consumption can have on preventing bone loss.1 This new study represents a milestone in prune research as it is the largest clinical trial to date with a sample size of 235 postmenopausal women. The results showed that women who consumed 50 grams of prunes (5-6 prunes) a day for one year maintained hip BMD while those who ate no prunes (control group) lost significant bone mass at the hip. Furthermore, hip fracture risk went up in the control group compared to the prune eaters who were protected from any increases in fracture risk.2

2. In this randomized-controlled clinical study, 57 healthy men aged 50-79 years old were assigned to either consume 100 grams of (12) prunes every day or no prunes for twelve months. At the conclusion of 1-year, the prune consumers showed significant decreases in biomarkers of bone breakdown, while no changes were observed in the control group (Hooshmand et al., 2021). The study authors also reported the men who ate prunes showed improvements in bone geometry indicating greater bone strength.

Damani, J J., De Souza, M.J., VanEvery, H.L., Strock, N.C.A., & Rogers, C.J. (2022). The Role of Prunes in Modulating Inflammatory Pathways to Improve Bone Health in Postmenopausal Women. Advances in Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmab162  

Effects of 12 Months Consumption of 100 g Dried Plum (Prunes) on Bone Biomarkers, Density, and Strength in Men Shirin Hooshmand, Danielle Gaffen, Ashley Eisner, Jonnatan Fajardo, Mark Payton, and Mark Kern.Journal of Medicinal Food.Jan 2022.40-47.http://doi.org/10.1089/jmf.2021.0080

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