New research shows prunes could prevent bone loss in older women

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (WTAJ) — A new study has shown positive results in using prunes to improve bone health of postmenopausal women.

Findings from a study conducted at Penn State University have shown that prunes may protect bone structure and strength in postmenopausal women. According to researchers, consuming prunes can help prevent or treat low bone mineral density, slowing the progression of age-related bone loss.

Mary Jane De Souza, a professor of kinesiology and physiology at Penn State University, said that the results of the study are promising and could reduce the risk of bone fractures in older individuals.

“We observed that we were able to preserve bone density at the hip, which is really important because it is a site that fractures often in postmenopausal women,” De Souza said. “And all those more importantly, we saw that we were able to preserve an estimate of bone strength and the number one factor that’s related to fractures is bone strength.”

According to the study, preserving bone strength can help prevent osteoporosis . Over 10 million Americans have the condition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , and it’s more common in older women. Estrogen is critical for bone health and women experiencing menopause often have hastened loss of bone density due to the sharp decrease in estrogen production.

De Souza explained that this finding could provide women with concerns about traditional medicines with an alternative to help support bone health.

“Another aspect that’s worth considering is that postmenopausal women are notorious for not being compliant to traditional medicines for osteoporosis,” De Souza said. “So especially for those women, the option to do something that might maintain your bone density and your bone strength I think is pretty important.”

However, De Souza added that many women are noncompliant with taking traditional medicines for osteoporosis due to fear of the risk factors including osteonecrosis of the jaw and atypical femoral neck fractures that have been popularized in conversation, despite their rarity in occurrence.

“And so although they occur rarely, a lot of women are scared that that’s going to occur for them. But it’s not the norm and it’s something that occurs after you’ve been taking the drug for many, many, many years. And not in everyone, even if you have been taking it for many, many years,” De Souza said.

According to the findings, study participants began showing preservation of bone density in as little as six months of eating five to six prunes every day. This is because prunes contain high levels of polyphenols, that reduce the inflammatory pathways that may lead to bone loss. While fruits, like blueberries, also have these compounds, De Souza said they are highest in prunes.

However, De Souza said that the benefits of eating prunes doesn’t stop at bone health.

“I think that prunes have the benefit of having multiple health benefits because of the nature of it being a whole food, being such a potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and it has fiber, lots of fiber and affects the gut microbiome in a very healthy way,” De Souza said.

Although researchers did not specifically gather data on the cardiovascular benefits of eating prunes, they believe that eating them could contribute to lower rates of cardiovascular disease as prunes decrease inflammation levels in the body.

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De Souza said she will continue her research into the health benefits of prunes, expanding her focus to women in other age demographics such as perimenopausal women and premenopausal women who have low bone density.

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