Why dried plums are good for your bones?

A new study has identified three potential pathways by which dried plums may contribute to bone health.

Researchers from San Diego State University and Florida State University Fifty-seven million Americans suffer from low bone density or osteoporosis, a disease which causes bones to become so weak and brittle that even a minor fall or other stresses might cause fractures. So the team examined the mechanism of the bone-protective properties of an unlikely source, California dried plums.

Dr. Shirin Hooshmand, PhD, said that while it was difficult to identify the exact mechanism behind dried plums' positive effect on bones, however, this study identified three potential pathways for the mechanism behind the effect of dried plums on bone resorption and bone formation.

This, according to study author and researcher Dr. Bahram H. Arjmandi, PhD, RD, Florida State University's Margaret A. Sitton Professor of the Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences and Director of the Center for Advancing Exercise and Nutrition Research on Aging (CAENRA) in the College of Human Sciences, was due, in part, to the ability of dried plums to suppress the rate of bone resorption, or the breakdown of bone, which tends to exceed the rate of new bone growth as people age.

Arjmandi suggested that dried plums might actually help to regenerate bone in people who have experienced bone loss, which was a serious issue for men and women alike.

Collectively, both the human and animal studies indicate that adding dried plums to the diet may be an effective way to help support healthy bones.However, the research also suggested that dried plums might also support heart health and digestive health.

The study found that dried plums help manage weight through improved satiety, perhaps by producing lower glucose and/or appetite-regulating hormone concentrations.

The study is published in the British Journal of Nutrition.