7/22/2022
Eating prunes every day offers well-known benefits for digestion. But according to two recent studies, prunes may aid bone health, too.
Consuming five to six prunes daily preserved bone density in postmenopausal women, Pennsylvania State University researchers found, and might even prevent osteoporosis.
In a study presented at the American Physiological Society annual meeting this past April, researchers said the regular consumption of prunes led to a significant reduction in inflammatory cytokines, which are markers of inflammation that can contribute to bone loss.1
A second study by the same research group found that eating prunes daily preserved bone mineral density at the hip and protected against the increased risk of fracture experienced by postmenopausal women.2
Women over the age of 50 are more likely to suffer from hip fractures, as bone mineral density decreases naturally after menopause.
Spondyloarthritis (SpA) can also increase the risk of osteoporosis, due to the effects of the disease on bone structure and strength. MRIs from SpA patients often show minimal inflammation in the joint but striking inflammation in the bone next to the joint. If this local inflammation occurs in the spine and is not controlled, it may ultimately result in fragile spinal bones. Additionally, the systemic inflammation that can occur in SpA causes the release of certain chemicals into the blood that activate cells (called osteoclasts) that dissolve bone mineral.
Previous studies have shown that the polyphenol extracts found in prunes—antioxidant compounds in certain plants that reduce inflammation—decrease inflammation related to osteoclasts.
In the first of the two recent trials, which included 106 women aged 55 to 75, researchers randomly assigned groups of women to eat 50 grams of prunes (about six) or 100 grams of prunes (about 12) daily, or no prunes, for 12 months. Blood tests administered before and after the trial showed the women who ate either amount of prunes had significantly lower levels of inflammatory cytokines associated with bone health, including TNF-a and several IL cytokines. The consumption of prunes did not affect the level of C-reactive protein (CRP).
The second trial involved 235 women with a bone mineral density T-score of -3.0, indicating osteoporosis. Researchers again randomly assigned the study participants to eat 50 grams of prunes or 100 grams of prunes daily, or no prunes, for 12 months. While measures of bone mineral density at the hip decreased significantly at six months and 12 months in the group that did not eat prunes, the groups that ate at least 50 grams of prunes maintained bone mineral density at both test points.
“Consuming five to six prunes a day demonstrated the benefit of protection from bone loss at the hip,” said principal investigator Mary Jane De Souza, PhD, FACSM. “Our data supports the use of prunes to protect the hip from bone loss, post-menopause.”3
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