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Daily consumption of dried plums has beneficial effects on various inflammatory markers and reduces the effects of bone loss in postmenopausal women.
A recent study involving experts from Pennsylvania State University examined how a diet containing prunes affects various immune markers, inflammatory markers and oxidative stress markers in postmenopausal women. The results are published in the “Journal of Nutrition”.
Effects of dried plums investigated
A total of 235 postmenopausal women between the ages of 55 and 75 were examined for the research, of which 183 participants ultimately completed the study.
All women participating abstained from phenol-containing dietary supplements or large amounts of phenol-containing fruit (apples and blueberries) at least two months before the start of the study, the researchers report.
The participants were assigned to three groups. One group served as a control group, one group consumed 50 grams of prunes per day and one group consumed 100 grams of prunes per day. All participants also received calcium and vitamin D3 every day to reach the recommended daily dose.
At the beginning and at the end of the twelve-month study, various immune, inflammatory and stress markers were measured in all participants using blood samples.
Prunes significantly reduce inflammatory markers
Consuming 50 to 100 grams of prunes daily (about five to twelve prunes) resulted in a significant reduction in inflammatory cytokines, which are proteins that help control inflammation, the team explains.
In addition, plum consumption was also associated with a significant reduction in activated monocytes, an important type of immune cell that has been shown to promote chronic inflammatory reactions.
The effect of plums is probably due to the abundance of bioactive compounds, including vitamins, minerals, phenolic acids and polyphenols, which likely act synergistically to suppress activated monocytes and their secretion of bone-resorptive inflammatory cytokines, according to study author Professor Dr. Connie Rogers.
Prunes prevent bone loss
The study also showed that postmenopausal women who did not consume prunes lost 1.5 percent more hip bone density compared to participants who consumed five to 12 prunes daily.
According to the researchers, this finding is important because bone loss is particularly pronounced in the population group studied. “Bone loss is a significant problem that affects more than 50 percent of women over the age of 50, and there is no cure,” reports study author Professor Dr. Mary Jane De Souza in a press release.
Non-pharmacological approaches (e.g. lifestyle and diet) that can help reduce bone loss are therefore urgently sought and plums could potentially make a contribution here. (as)