Osteoporosis and Prunes

Posted by gailfaith @gailfaith, Feb 1, 2017

I just ran across an article (not a recognized medical magazine) that states the eating 5-6 prunes a day can reverse osteoporosis? Anyone know anything about the possible connection? or see anything to this effect in a reputable medical source? @gailfaith

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janines | @janines | May 11 12:12pm

I read 6 can I do that if I’m prediabeticcis it worth the sugar count???

nannygoat5 | @nannygoat5 | May 11 1:53pm

In reply to @janflute "I read that you needed to have nine prunes a day to help with osteoporosis. Is..." + (show)

Omg NINE? Mt body hates three!

kjr5 | @kjr5 | May 11 3:19pm

In reply to @janflute "I read that you needed to have nine prunes a day to help with osteoporosis. Is..." + (show)

5 were found to be adequate in the study.

sjlennon | @sjlennon | May 11 4:22pm

Yes, there is research about prunes and bone health. See the following:

De Souza MJ, Strock NCA, Williams NI, Lee H, Koltun KJ, Rogers C, Ferruzzi MG, Nakatsu CH, Weaver C. Prunes preserve hip bone mineral density in a 12-month randomized controlled trial in postmenopausal women: the Prune Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2022 Oct 6;116(4):897-910. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqac189. PMID: 35798020.
Arjmandi BH, Johnson SA, Pourafshar S, Navaei N, George KS, Hooshmand S, Chai SC, Akhavan NS.Nutrients. 2017 May 14;9(5):496. doi: 10.3390/nu9050496.PMID: 28505102 Free PMC article.

There is also research about eggs and bone density.

1. Shi D, Liu W, Hang J, Chen W. Whole egg consumption in relation to bone health of the US population: a cross-sectional study. Food Funct. 2024;15(3):1369-1378. doi:10.1039/d3fo04248k
2. Olagunju MT, Abodunrin OR, Omotoso IO, et al. Egg consumption and bone mass density among the elderly: A scoping review. medRxiv. Published online October 5, 2023. doi:10.1101/2023.10.04.23296570

Shared files

Arjmandi et al 2017 prunes (Arjmandi-et-al-2017-prunes.pdf)

De Souza et al 2022 prune study (De-Souza-et-al-2022-prune-study.pdf)

Olagunju 2023 eggs (Olagunju-2023-eggs.pdf)

janflute | @janflute | May 12 12:37am

In reply to @sjlennon "Yes, there is research about prunes and bone health. See the following: De Souza MJ, Strock..." + (show)

I have read all of the studies that you shared. Thank you! They are confusing to me. How many dried prunes should a 118 pound woman eat a day? Should they be spaced out or can you eat them all at once, as I have been doing? Are dried prunes better for bones than wet? Is the study about eating eggs every day inconclusive? Thank you so much for helping me with these questions.

njx58 | @njx58 | May 12 8:17am

In reply to @janflute "I have read all of the studies that you shared. Thank you! They are confusing to..." + (show)

The studies seemed inconclusive to me. The danger is that people read this stuff and think "I don't need medication, I just need to eat prunes", and that is not true.

kshea2 | @kshea2 | May 13 11:01am

In reply to @njx58 "The studies seemed inconclusive to me. The danger is that people read this stuff and think..." + (show)

I have incorporated prunes into my many diet changes to help combat osteoporosis. They are packed with great nutrients which are good for many reasons and I actually like the taste. I know they are not a ‘cure’ but just another way to get proper nutrition for this condition.

broken13 | @broken13 | May 15 11:13am

I was just at Naturopathic doctor yesterday and she said 5 prunes every day. She is very good and has made excellent suggestions for management of my bone health.

sjlennon | @sjlennon | May 16 11:08am

In reply to @janflute "I have read all of the studies that you shared. Thank you! They are confusing to..." + (show)

According to what I read in the prune studies, the researchers suggest slowly adopting the 5-6 prunes per day. For me I love the taste and can eat 5-6 prunes at a time with no difficulty. The researchers do not mention whether to eat them "dry" or "wet."

The egg study I posted is not the best. This one
1. Shi D, Liu W, Hang J, Chen W. Whole egg consumption in relation to bone health of the US population: a cross-sectional study. Food Funct. 2024;15(3):1369-1378. doi:10.1039/d3fo04248k

finds a positive relationship between egg consumption and bone density; that is, higher
whole egg consumption is positively related to an increase in the bone mineral density scores of both the femur and lumbar spine among the US population. Below is a link to the research

Shared files

shi et al 2024 eggs (shi-et-al-2024-eggs.pdf)