Prunes may protect bone structure and strength in postmenopausal women, study finds

Dairy is not the only food that is good for bone health. Prunes may also protect bone structure and strength in postmenopausal women, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers. The findings, published in Osteoporosis Internationalsuggest that daily consumption of plum slows the progression of age-related bone loss and reduces the risk of fracture.

This is the first randomized controlled trial to examine three-dimensional bone outcomes in relation to bone structure, geometry and estimated strength. In our study we saw that daily consumption of plums affected factors related to fracture risk. This is clinically invaluable.”

Mary Jane De Souza, distinguished professor of kinesiology and physiology at Penn State;

Bones are composed of dynamic tissues that are constantly in the process of remodeling. Specialized bone cells remove old bone and replace it with new bone. With age, the scales begin to tip and the body breaks down bones faster than it can build them.

Accelerated bone loss can lead to osteoporosis, a disease where the bones become less dense and the structure of the bones changes, making them weaker and at greater risk of fracture. More than 10 million Americans have the condition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and it is more common in women compared to men and in the elderly.

It’s of particular concern for postmenopausal women, the researchers said. Estrogen, a hormone critical to bone health, declines during this phase of life, and lower estrogen levels accelerate bone loss. While there is a drug available to treat osteoporosis, researchers said many women who should be taking it are not taking it.

Plums offer a promising alternative, according to De Souza. They contain bioactive compounds such as polyphenols that may moderate the inflammatory pathways that lead to bone loss.

Previous studies mainly used dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to assess two-dimensional bone density and to diagnose osteoporosis. But DXA scans cannot distinguish between different types of bone tissue or measure the structural properties of bone, which can serve as a proxy for bone strength and quality, the researchers explained.

“When we look at bone density, we look at how much bone there is, but we also want to know about the quality of the bone. When we look at a 3D image, we can see the bone structure, the geometry and the microarchitecture, that is, it tells us how good it is the bone,” De Souza said.

To determine whether daily consumption of plums affected bone quality, the research team conducted a 12-month randomized controlled trial with 235 postmenopausal women. Participants were divided into one of three groups: no plums; 50 grams, or four to six, prunes daily. or 100 grams, or 10 to 12, prunes daily. Every six months, they were assessed using regional quantitative computed tomography or pQCT scanning, which allows cross-sectional imaging to measure three-dimensional bone density, bone geometry, and bone strength.

Over the course of a year, the researchers found that measures of bone density and bone strength in the tibia, or tibia bone, all decreased in the women in the control group. In contrast, those who ate at least four to six prunes each day maintained bone density and bone strength and preserved bone structure, particularly in cortical bone. While women in both prune groups saw benefits, four to six prunes a day may be the most feasible dose. Women in the 100-gram group dropped out at a higher rate because they got tired of incorporating so many prunes into their daily diet.

“It’s pretty exciting data for a 12-month study,” De Souza said. “We were able to preserve and preserve the bone in the weight-bearing cortical bone of the tibia, and maintaining cortical bone and bone strength is key to preventing fracture.”

Eating plum could also potentially reduce the risk of osteoporosis, De Souza explained, but more research is needed.

With this paper, the research team drew on a series of studies investigating the relationship between plums and bone health. In a previous study with the same group of women, the research team showed that eating prunes daily for a year also preserved total bone density in the hip. They have also investigated possible mechanisms behind the protective effects of prunes, including how prunes affect the bacteria in the gut microbiome. De Souza said they hope to continue to expand on these findings in future studies.

Other Penn State authors on the paper include Nancy Williams, professor of kinesiology and physiology, and Janhavi Damani, PhD in the graduate program in integrative and biomedical physiology at the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences. Kristen Koltun, who was a doctoral student at Penn State at the time of the research and is currently an assistant professor of sports medicine and nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh, led the study. Co-author Nicole Strock earned her PhD at Penn State and is currently a human performance scientist at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Connie Weaver, Distinguished Research Professor at San Diego State University. Hang Lee, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Connie Rogers, professor of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Georgia. Mario Ferruzzi, professor of pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. and Cindy Nakatsu, professor of agronomy at Purdue University, also contributed to the work.

Funding from the California Prune Board supported this project.