Dried Plum and Osteoporosis

These 2 published papers suggests that taking some (8-10) dried plum (prune) daily may reverse bone loss (Osteoporosis) and restore bone formation.

Combining Fructooligosaccharide and Dried Plum Has the Greatest Effect on Restoring Bone Mineral Density Among Select Functional Foods and Bioactive Compounds, Bahram H. Arjmandi, Catherine D. Johnson, Sara C. Campbell, Shirin Hooshmand, Sheau C. Chai, Mohammed P. Akhter. Journal of Medicinal Food. April 2010, 13(2): 312-319.

Viewpoint: Dried plum, an emerging functional food that may effectively improve bone health, Shirin Hooshmanda and Bahram H. Arjmandi, Ageing Research Reviews 8(2): 122-127 (April 2009).

Combining Fructooligosaccharide and Dried Plum Has the Greatest Effect on Restoring Bone Mineral Density Among Select Functional Foods and Bioactive Compounds, Bahram H. Arjmandi, Catherine D. Johnson, Sara C. Campbell, Shirin Hooshmand, Sheau C. Chai, Mohammed P. Akhter. Journal of Medicinal Food. April 2010, 13(2): 312-319.
The objective of the present study was to determine the extent to which certain functional foods as (1) whole, e.g., dried plum (DP), figs, dates, raisin, and blueberry, (2) fractionated, e.g., DP puree, DP juice, and DP pulp/skin, or (3) isolated, e.g., DP polyphenols, fructooligosaccharides (FOS), and β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate, forms reverse bone loss in an ovariectomized (Ovx) rat model of osteoporosis. ...Although other treatments were good at altering some bone parameters, none had the success in altering several bone health indicators as the diets supplemented with 5% FOS+7.5% DP. The findings of this study suggest the combination of 5% FOS+7.5% DP is capable of reversing Ovx-induced bone loss.

Viewpoint: Dried plum, an emerging functional food that may effectively improve bone health, Shirin Hooshmanda and Bahram H. Arjmandi, Ageing Research Reviews 8(2): 122-127 (April 2009).
Osteoporosis is a debilitating disorder that affects both female and male, albeit to a greater extent in women than men. ....In addition to the animal studies, our 3-month clinical trial indicated that the consumption of dried plum daily by postmenopausal women significantly increased serum markers of bone formation, total alkaline phosphatase, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase and insulin-like growth factor-I by 12, 6, and 17%, respectively. This review summarizes the findings of studies published to date which examine the beneficial effects of dried plum on bone in both female and male animal models of osteoporosis as well as the only published clinical study.

逆轉骨質疏鬆的神奇食物

遠道來自美國佛羅裏達州立大學的 Dr. Bahram Arjmandi（他是該校食品營養與運動科學系系主任）是全世界知名的骨研究 (bone study) 專家，一直致力 在尋找可以預防/舒緩骨質疏鬆 (osteoporosis) 和骨關節炎(osteoarthritis)的天然食物。當 天他在會中報告了他以[黑棗乾]（也被稱為加州梅(prune) 所做的實驗，讓人驚詫不已。

我從來沒想過， 原來我常拿來加在燕麥粥和喜瑞 爾內的黑棗乾不但是高纖維和高抗氧化力食物，它還是個可以協助預防和逆轉骨質疏鬆的神奇食物(miraclefood)！

Dr. Arjmandi 以已停經的婦女所做的臨床試驗顯示：

1.每天8-10顆 的黑棗乾可以比荷爾蒙療法和其 它藥物更有效的減少骨質流失（但前提是每天要攝取足夠的鈣 和維生素D)，並更有效的的「重建」(restore)已 疏鬆骨頭的健康。（不過未被加工製 成乾的新鮮黑棗並無此功效）

2.每天8-10顆的黑棗乾讓受試者在90天 試驗期內減了好幾磅的重量。（但吃黑棗乾時要 搭配喝水，讓黑棗乾內的纖維吸水，在胃中膨脹，產生飽足感，壓抑食慾）

Dr. Arjmandi的實驗結果已刊登在世界權威的學術期刊，所以黑棗乾神奇的生理功效是有紮實的科學證據，並非憑空瞎掰的。Dr. Arjmandi發現黑棗乾抗骨質流失的機制與它超高的抗氧化力有關，雖然會議當天他詳細說明瞭生化機制，但在這兒我就不寫出來了，免得大家嫌枯燥。

因為纖維含量高，黑棗乾和黑棗汁都被美國的醫生推薦是便秘必吃聖品。台灣的超級市場(頂好、大潤發、家樂福、愛買...)都買的到黑棗乾，幾乎都是和葡萄 乾、蔓越莓乾這些食品放在同一 架上。試了幾個牌子後，我個人最愛的是「太陽牌」(SUNSWEET)去籽黑棗乾(加 州梅)。

黑棗乾價格便宜 （500克 罐裝才125元）， 又具有幫助排便、抗氧化、減重、減少骨質流失的多重功效， 每個年齡層的男生和女生都應該 把 8-10顆的黑 棗乾列入每天必吃食物（不過不要超過10顆 哦，要不然你的腸道會過度蠕動）。

最後提醒大家， 這8-10顆的黑棗乾並不必要一次吃完，可以在一天中分2-3次 吃完。