London: They are known to be very effective against constipation. Now, a new study has found that prunes can also help post-menopausal women protect themselves from osteoporosis and bone fractures.
Florida State and Oklahoma State academics found that by simply eating around 10 fruits a day can help suppress the breakdown of bones, which tends to speed as people age.
According to the researchers, dried plums are far better than figs, dates, dried strawberries, dried apples, and raisins for improving bone density, the Daily Mail reported.
And as post-menopausal women are most prone to osteoporosis they are encouraging people to eat more of the divisive dried fruit, the researchers said.
"Over my career, I have tested numerous fruits, including figs, dates, strawberries and raisins, and none of them come anywhere close to having the effect on bone density that dried plums, or prunes, have," said study researcher Bahram Arjmandi of Florida State University.
"All fruits and vegetables have a positive effect on nutrition, but in terms of bone health, this particular food is exceptional."
For their study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, Arjmandi and a group of researchers tested two groups of post-menopausal women.
Over a year, the first group, consisting of 55 women, was instructed to consume 100 grams of dried plums, about 10 prunes, per day, while the second -- a control group of 45 women -- was told to consume 100 grams of dried apples.
All of the study's participants also received daily doses of calcium and vitamin D.
It was found that the group that consumed dried plums had significantly higher bone mineral density in the ulna, one of two long bones in the forearm, and the spine, in comparison with the group that ate dried apples.
"In the first five to seven post-menopausal years, women are at risk of losing bone at a rate of three to five percent per year," Arjmandi said.
"However, osteoporosis is not exclusive to women and, indeed, around the age of 65, men start losing bone with the same rapidity as women," he added.
The researchers encourage people who are interested in maintaining or improving their bone health to take note of the extraordinarily positive effect that dried plums have on bone density.
"Don't wait until you get a fracture or you are diagnosed with osteoporosis and have to have prescribed medicine. Do something meaningful and practical beforehand," Arjmandi said.
"People could start eating two to three dried plums per day and increase gradually to perhaps six to 10 per day. Prunes can be eaten in all forms and can be included in a variety of recipes."
Comments
0 comment