Osteoporosis is a chronic bone disease characterized by a loss of bone mass that leaves bones weak and vulnerable to fracture. The National Osteoporosis Foundation reports that 10 million people in the United States currently suffer from this disease, while another 34 million are at risk. The disease affects more women than men and the risk for women increases in the years following menopause. Dried plums, also known as prunes, contain a variety of nutrients, and recent research suggests that eating prunes may help to prevent osteoporosis.
About Osteoporosis
Preventing osteoporosis later in life begins early, because by the age of 25 your bones reach their peak bone mass. Throughout the rest of the years your body tries to maintain a balance between the formation of new bone and the breakdown of old bone. As you get older, your rate of bone loss increases. The loss of estrogen following menopause intensifies this effect in women, who can lose up to 20 percent of their bone mass in the 5 to 7 years following menopause, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. Doctors encourage a diet rich in vitamin D and calcium to reduce the risk of osteoporosis, but other nutrients may also prove beneficial.
Research in Animals
Research published in a 2005 issue of "The Journal of the North American Menopause Society" found that rats fed diets including 5 percent dried plums, 15 percent dried plums or 25 percent dried plums experienced an increase in bone density of the long bones such as the femur. Other research conducted using female rats without ovaries found that a diet including dried plums restored bone mass, as reported by Florida State University. These promising results prompted a clinical research trial in humans.
Clinical Research
Scientists at Florida State University conducted a clinical research trial in which a group of women between 2 and 10 years postmenopause consumed either 100 g of dried plums or 75 g of dried apples per day for 3 months. Doctors measured levels of bone status biochemical markers in the blood and urine, such as insulinlike growth factor-1 and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase. The study, published in the "Journal of Women's Health and Gender-Based Medicine," found that the women eating dried plums showed a significant increase in both markers, suggesting that dried plums may induce greater rates of bone formation and reduce the onset of progression of osteoporosis.
Nutrients in Prunes
Scientists do not know which specific nutrient in dried plums may affect bone density. Dried plums contain many essential minerals including potassium, copper and boron. Dried plums also serve as a source of phytochemicals -- non-nutrient plant substances that induce biological activity in the body. Phytoestrogen compounds, such as those found in soybeans, positively influence bone mass. Scientists theorize that similar phenolic rings in dried plums provide similar benefits. Even without knowing the exact mechanism of action, dried plums make a nutritious and delicious snack.
References
- National Osteoporosis Foundation: How Bones Change and Grow
- "Journal of Women's Health and Gender-Based Medicine"; Dried Plums Improve Indices of Bone Formation in Postmenopausal Women; B. H. Arjmandi et al.; July 2004
- California Dried Plums: Bone Health
- Florida State University: Can Prunes Reverse Bone Loss After Menopause?
- "The Journal of the North American Menopause Society"; Dried Plum Reverses Bone Loss in an Osteopenic Rat Model of Osteoporosis; F. Deyhim et al.; 2005
