by David Hamilton

Created on: May 12, 2008   Last Updated: June 16, 2008

Plums were first dried into prunes in areas around the Caspian sea several thousand of years ago. Today, prunes are primarily produced in California. This may come as a surprise given that Americans have a largely negative impression of prunes. Most Americans have come to associate prunes with the elderly and view their primary health benefit as the laxative effect they provide.

The negative view of prunes has become so wide spread that prune makers recently announced a marketing campaign to improve the prune's image. Prune marketers are dropping the traditional name and labeling their product based on the process used to create it and calling prunes 'dried plums' instead.

Those same marketing teams might be wise to spread the word about research showing the health benefits of this simple dried fruit. In addition to their widely recognized ability to promote regularity, prunes are also a solid source of potassium. In tests performed by Tufts University, it was found that prunes contained higher level antioxidants than any other fruit.

Even with these findings prunes may not be able to escape an association with the elderly. Science Daily reported on a study showing that prunes may be helpful in reversing bone loss in post menopausal women. The initial animal studies were successful enough that researchers believe that isolating compounds in prunes may eventually result in new, lower cost therapies for bone loss.

While there are many benefits to consuming prunes directly, snacking is not the only way to take advantage of this nutriment rich dried fruit. Prunes can also be a big health booster in baking as well. By substituting a cup of butter for a half-cup of prune puree, you can reduce the fat and gain an antioxidant bonus. Since prunes are naturally sweet, you may find you can cut some of the sugar for even more calorie savings.

http://www2.thirdage.com/articles/prunes-top -antioxidant-pile
http://archives.cnn.com/2000/FOOD/n ews/09/13/prunes.reut/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/re leases/2007/01/070111104357.htm
http://www.godairyfre e.org/200703211016/News/Nutrition-Headlines/How-to-B aking-without-Butter.html

http://www.bio-medicine.org /medicine-news/Can-Prunes-Reverse-Bone-Loss-After-Me nopause-3F-17346-1/

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