Preventing changes in abdominal fat distribution may decrease risk of cardiovascular disease
An increase in belly fat is common in postmenopausal women and, when excessive, can be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. A new study published in the Journal of Nutrition set out to evaluate the effect of 12-month prune supplementation on cardiometabolic health markers in postmenopausal women, including android total mass.
The study was a single-center, parallel-design, 12-month randomized controlled trial in which a total of 183 postmenopausal women were allocated to a no-prune control group, a group that ate 50 grams of prunes daily or a group that ate 100 grams of prunes daily.
Android total mass increased by 3.19% ± 5.5% from baseline in the no-prune control group, whereas the 100-gram prune group experienced a 0.02% ± 5.6% decrease in android total mass from baseline (P < 0.01).
The findings suggest that prune supplementation may help prevent adverse effects of menopause on fat distribution, especially belly fat.
This project was supported by the California Prune Board.
Damani, J. J., Rogers, C. J., Lee, H., Strock, N. C., Koltun, K. J., Williams, N. I., Weaver, C., Ferruzzi, M. G., Nakatsu, C. H., & De Souza, M. J. (2024). Effects of Prune (Dried Plum) Supplementation on Cardiometabolic Health in Postmenopausal Women: An Ancillary Analysis of a 12-Month Randomized Controlled Trial, The Prune Study. The Journal of Nutrition, 154(5), 1604–1618.