Benefits
Stool frequency and consistency with daily prunes
In a single-blind crossover in 40 adults with chronic constipation, 50 g of prunes twice daily for 3 weeks gave more complete bowel movements a week and better stool consistency than fiber-matched psyllium; straining and overall symptoms did not differ. In a later US trial with no placebo group, 100 g a day gave responder rates similar to kiwifruit and psyllium, though more people were dissatisfied with prunes than with kiwifruit.
Stool weight and frequency in adults who eat little fiber
In a 4-week randomized trial of 120 healthy adults with low fiber intakes and 3 to 6 stools a week, 80 g or 120 g of prunes a day increased stool weight and stool frequency compared with a water-only control. Whole gut transit time did not change, and flatulence was more common on prunes.
Softer stool form with prune juice
In a double-blind trial in 84 Japanese adults with chronic constipation, 54 g a day of a prune juice for 8 weeks lowered the share of hard, lumpy stools and raised the share of normal stools compared with a matched placebo, without more loose stools, and improved constipation and hard-stool scores. The juice maker partly funded the trial and employed two authors.
Hip and spine bone density in postmenopausal women
In a 12-month trial in 235 postmenopausal women, total hip bone density fell 1.1% with no prunes but held near baseline (down 0.3%) with 50 g a day; the 100 g group showed no significant difference from control and 41% of it dropped out. In an earlier year-long trial that randomized 160 women (100 analyzed), 100 g a day raised spine and forearm density compared with dried apple.
Bone turnover markers and bone density in older women and men
In 48 older women with low bone mass, 50 g or 100 g a day for 6 months prevented loss of total body bone density versus control and lowered the bone resorption marker TRAP-5b. In men, two year-long trials found no change in bone density with 50 g or 100 g a day, though some markers shifted. A pooled analysis of trials in postmenopausal women found no significant effect at any bone site; the spine result was borderline.
A whole-fruit source of fiber, sorbitol, potassium and phenolics
By USDA data, 100 g of prunes supplies about 7.1 g of fiber, 732 mg of potassium, 59.5 mcg of vitamin K and 38.1 g of sugars. A composition review reported about 14.7 g of sorbitol and 184 mg of phenolic compounds per 100 g, mainly neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acids. These are nutrient amounts, not tested outcomes.
Mechanism of action
Sorbitol and fiber reaching the colon
A composition review proposed that the high sorbitol content of prunes and prune juice (about 14.7 g and 6.1 g per 100 g) could explain their laxative action, with phenolic compounds possibly adding to it. The review described juice as filtered and lacking fiber, although the juice in one placebo-controlled trial did contain pectin.
More stool bulk and shifts in gut bacteria
In a 4-week trial, prunes raised stool weight without changing whole gut transit time, Bifidobacteria rose more than in the control group, and short-chain fatty acids and stool pH did not change. In a 12-month trial in postmenopausal women, prunes shifted gut microbiome composition and enriched Lachnospiraceae; links to health outcomes are correlations.
Slower bone resorption (marker and animal data)
In two trials in postmenopausal women, prunes lowered the bone breakdown marker TRAP-5b, but a 3-month trial saw no change in resorption markers and a pooled analysis found no significant marker differences. In estrogen-deficient mice, the carbohydrate fraction of dried plum suppressed bone formation and resorption, the polyphenol fraction briefly lowered formation, and both altered gut bacteria.
Clinical trials
Randomized, single-blind crossover: prunes 50 g twice daily or psyllium 11 g twice daily (each about 6 g fiber a day) for 3 weeks each, with a 1-week washout. (Attaluri et al. 2011, Aliment Pharmacol Ther)
40 adults with chronic constipation (37 women, 3 men; mean age 38).
Complete spontaneous bowel movements per week (the primary outcome) and stool consistency improved more with prunes than with psyllium (P < 0.05). Straining and global constipation symptoms did not differ between treatments. Both were rated equally palatable and were well tolerated. Small, short and single-blind.
Parallel-group randomized controlled trial with blinded outcome assessors: 80 g/day prunes plus 300 ml water, 120 g/day prunes plus 300 ml water, or 300 ml water alone for 4 weeks; primary outcome stool weight from 7-day collections. (Lever et al. 2019, Clin Nutr)
120 healthy adults with low fiber intakes and 3 to 6 stools a week.
Stool weight rose by about 22 g/day (80 g) and 33 g/day (120 g) versus a small fall with water (P = 0.026). Stool frequency was higher at 80 g (6.8 a week) and 120 g (5.6) than control (5.4) (P = 0.023). Whole gut transit time, short-chain fatty acids and stool pH did not change; flatulence was more common with prunes.
Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 54 g/day of a prune juice or a flavor- and color-matched placebo for 8 weeks; partly funded by MIKI Corporation, which employed two authors. (Koyama et al. 2022, Am J Gastroenterol)
84 Japanese adults aged 20 to 75 with treatment-naive chronic constipation by Rome IV criteria (42 per group).
From week 3, the share of hard and lumpy stools was lower and the share of normal stools higher than on placebo, with no rise in loose or watery stools. By week 8, constipation and hard-stool symptom scores were better than placebo. No adverse events or liver or kidney lab abnormalities were reported.
Single-center, parallel-arm randomized controlled trial of 50 g/day or 100 g/day prunes versus a no-prune control for 12 months, with bone density measured every 6 months. (De Souza et al. 2022, Am J Clin Nutr)
235 postmenopausal women (mean age 62): 78 control, 79 on 50 g and 78 on 100 g of prunes a day.
Total hip bone density fell 1.1% in the control group but only 0.3% with 50 g a day, a significant group by time difference (P < 0.05). The 100 g group did not differ from control, and its dropout rate was 41% versus 15% at 50 g and 10% in controls. A fracture risk score worsened in controls at 6 months but held steady in the pooled prune groups.
Randomized controlled trial of 100 g/day dried plum or dried apple (comparative control) for 12 months; all participants took 500 mg calcium and 400 IU vitamin D daily. (Hooshmand et al. 2011, Br J Nutr)
160 women 1 to 10 years past menopause, not on hormone therapy or bone-active medicines, were randomized; 100 were analyzed (55 dried plum, 45 dried apple).
Dried plum increased bone density at the ulna (forearm) and spine compared with dried apple. Compared with baseline, only the dried plum group had lower bone turnover markers (bone-specific alkaline phosphatase and TRAP-5b). The control was another dried fruit, not a no-fruit group.
Randomized controlled trial of 50 g/day or 100 g/day dried plum versus control for 6 months. (Hooshmand et al. 2016, Osteoporos Int)
48 women aged 65 to 79 with low bone mass (osteopenia).
Both doses prevented the loss of total body bone density seen in the control group (P < 0.05). The resorption marker TRAP-5b fell by 3 months and stayed lower at 6 months with both doses; the formation marker bone-specific alkaline phosphatase did not change. A small, short trial.
Randomized controlled trial of 100 g/day, 50 g/day or 0 g/day prunes for 12 months; every group also took a multivitamin with 450 mg calcium and 800 IU vitamin D3. Funded by USDA-NIFA; prunes donated by the California Prune Board. (Ormsbee et al. 2026, Nutrients)
62 men aged 55 to 80 with spine T-scores from -0.1 to -2.5 were enrolled and 59 completed (23 on 100 g, 23 on 50 g, 13 controls); recruitment fell short of the planned 200.
Neither dose changed total body or lumbar spine bone density compared with the calcium and vitamin D control. Osteoprotegerin fell less in both prune groups, and TRAP-5b rose less in the 100 g group, than in controls; the authors called these marker differences exploratory and not evidence of a bone benefit.