This is an exceptional finding
that is shown here to be specific to dried prunes. I have always been a fan of a steady intake
of dried fruit in general and there are plenty of advantages there, but this
capacity for a daily handful of dried prunes to effectively halt and stabilize bone
loss is extremely compelling.
I think that I will make it my
bedtime treat in my own case, but the normal breakfast treat is now completely
justified. It is a rather remarkable
confirmation of another traditional eating custom. Who knew?
We will also never run out of
this particular fruit since a single tree will produce a hundred pounds easily
with a minimum of care. Any farm can set
up an orchard for the sake of a minimum of maintenance which is a lot less than
any other tree I have worked with.
No Bones About It: Eating Dried Plums Helps Prevent Fractures and
Osteoporosis
Released: 8/18/2011 8:40 AM EDT
Newswise — When it comes to improving bone health in postmenopausal
women — and people of all ages, actually — a Florida State University
researcher has found a simple, proactive solution to help prevent fractures and
osteoporosis: eating dried plums.
“Over my career, I have tested numerous fruits, including figs,
dates, strawberries and raisins, and none of them come anywhere close to having
the effect on bone density that dried plums, or prunes, have,” said Bahram H.
Arjmandi, Florida State’s Margaret A. Sitton Professor and chairman of theDepartment of Nutrition, Food and Exercise
Sciences in the College of Human Sciences. “All fruits and vegetables
have a positive effect on nutrition, but in terms of bone health, this
particular food is exceptional.”
Arjmandi and a group of researchers from Florida
State and Oklahoma State
University
The group that consumed dried plums had significantly higher bone
mineral density in the ulna (one of two long bones in the forearm) and spine,
in comparison with the group that ate dried apples. This, according to
Arjmandi, 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.
The group’s research, “Comparative
Effects of Dried Plum and Dried Apple on Bone in Post Menopausal Women,”
was published in the British
Journal of Nutrition. Arjmandi conducted the research with his graduate
students Shirin Hooshmand, Sheau C. Chai and Raz L. Saadat of the College of
Human Sciences; Dr. Kenneth Brummel-Smith, Florida State’s Charlotte Edwards
Maguire Professor and chairman of the Department of Geriatrics in the College
of Medicine; and Oklahoma State University statistics Professor Mark E. Payton.
In the United States
“In the first five to seven postmenopausal years, women are at risk of
losing bone at a rate of 3 to 5 percent per year,” Arjmandi said. “However,
osteoporosis is not exclusive to women and, indeed, around the age of 65, men
start losing bone with the same rapidity as women.”
\
Arjmandi encourages people who are interested in maintaining or
improving their bone health to take note of the extraordinarily positive effect
that dried plums have on bone density.
“Don’t wait until you get a fracture or you are diagnosed with
osteoporosis and have to have prescribed medicine,” Arjmandi said. “Do
something meaningful and practical beforehand. People could start eating two
to three dried plums per day and increase gradually to perhaps six to 10 per
day. Prunes can be eaten in all forms and can be included in a variety of
recipes.”
The U.S.
No comments:
Post a Comment