The findings suggest that prunes offer health benefits for young women
A new study published in Current Developments in Nutrition explored whether consuming 50 grams of prunes per day for 12 months could prevent bone loss or increase bone accrual in young women who use oral contraceptives.
Ninety women between the ages of 18 and 25 years were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a control group that did not use oral contraceptives, a group that used oral contraceptives and did not consume prunes, or a group that ate 50 grams of prunes per day for 12 months. Bone mineral density was measured at baseline and after 12 months, and blood samples were collected at baseline and after 6 and 12 months to assess biomarkers.
The findings showed that bone mineral density at the ultradistal radius increased significantly after 12 months among women using oral contraceptives and eating 50 grams of prunes daily. The ultradistal radius is a region abundant in trabecular bone —a porous material composed of both hard and soft tissue components— and therefore prone to fracture due to osteoporosis. The authors concluded that consumption of prunes may mitigate the harmful bone effects of oral contraceptives in young women.
This study was funded by the California Prune Board.
DeMasi, T., Tsang, M., Mueller, J., Giltvedt, K., Nguyen, T. N., Kern, M., & Hooshmand, S. (2024). Prunes may blunt adverse effects of oral contraceptives on bone health in young adult women: a randomized clinical trial. Current Developments in Nutrition, 8(9), 104417.