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This One Dried Fruit Can Help Build Stronger Bones
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By the way, even though the women in these studies were consuming about 200 more calories in prunes every day, they did not gain any weight nor did their BMI increase. This might be due to the increased fiber that prunes contain.
The British Journal of Nutrition had similar results. This study used 160 post-menopausal women who had low bone mineral density, but not quite enough so that they were diagnosed with having osteoporosis. This study also found that eating prunes could both prevent and reverse bone loss by limiting the production of compounds in the body that cause the depletion of bone. In this study, the women ate a normal diet but also consumed 10 prunes every day for one year.
Both dried plums and fresh plums have long been known to increase iron absorption in the body as well as boosting vitamin C levels. Prunes and plums have been shown in similar studies to improve weight loss, lower cholesterol levels as well as normalize blood sugar levels.
Prunes are also loaded in vitamin C, K, boron, and are super high in antioxidants, which stop the damage that free radicals cause. Prunes are actually higher in boron than most fruits, which play an important role in preserving bone density. Boron converts vitamin D to an active form, which helps the body utilize calcium for the formation of bone. Vitamin K also influences overall bone health by promoting the normalization of bone mineral and improving the balance of calcium.
In addition to vitamins, prunes are loaded with carotenoids that have been shown to be proven disease fighters including beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, lutein, anthocyanins, phenols, and proanthocyanins. In fact, prunes have a higher level of antioxidant activity than blueberries.
SEE ALSO: 14 Benefits Of Antioxidants Infographic
It’s thought that rune can improve bone mass by slowing the rate at of bone turnover. Authors of these studies believe that prunes can improve bone health by slowing the rate of bone resorption more so than bone formation.
Prunes also reduce inflammation in the body, which might be another reason that they improve bone health. Inflammation is the root cause of so many health problems, so anything natural that you can consume that will limit inflammation, as well as improve bone mass, is worth eating more of!
There have been numerous fruits tested over the years, including figs, raisins, strawberries, and dates, but none have had the effect on bone density that prunes have had. Although all fruits and vegetables have their place in terms of nutrition, when speaking about bone health, you can’t beat prunes.
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