Anecdotal accounts and researches written by people with data obtained from responses of constipated patients from questionnaires, claim that prunes itself is effective in doing its action in easing constipation. However, evidence and reliable proof are needed to know if this claim is credible and believable.
In 2005 a paper published that during the study, many people responded that prunes is a constipation-easing food. However, claims alone is not sufficient. To identify which foods are effective and really do the work to ease constipation, claims must be supported with reliable and credible proof and evidence from clinical trials. In 2018 a clinical trial reported that prunes is indeed an effective food to improve constipation symptoms.
Constipated people claim about the effect of prunes on bowel movement
A lot of people consider prunes as stool softeners according to a 2005 published paper that interviewed healthy and constipated German individuals. This large-scale study included 122 chronic constipation patients, 766 irritable bowel syndrome with constipation patients, and 200 healthy controls. (1)
Evidence from clinical trials regarding prune’s effect on constipation
Prunes could be an effective method to decrease constipation severity. An Iranian experimental study published in Bali Medical Journal in 2018 presented the effect of prunes on all 60 elderly women living at Zabol Elderly House in Iran. They were 62-80 years old and were diagnosed with constipation by a physician according to Rom III. The participants were assigned to control groups and two experimental groups. The control group followed the usual diet, while the intervention group, had the usual diet, plus 50 grams of prune or an approximate of 12 prunes. They were provided with 6 grams of fiber per day for three weeks. To make the prunes easier to eat they were soaked in water overnight. Then each morning, participants would eat prunes before they eat breakfast. Constipation follow-up was conducted every weekend until the study period had been completed. Meanwhile, the questionnaires for assessing constipation severity and existence were completed before and after three weeks of intervention. Outcome of the study revealed that prior to the intervention, the constipation severity difference in the two groups was insignificant. However, at the end of the first week until the end of the third week after the intervention, a dramatic difference in the constipation severity had been observed. This indicates that prunes has been effective in lowering constipation severity even from the first week. At the end of the third week, most of the participants (80%) in the intervention group experienced mild constipation. (2)
Reliable evidence is a must
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Reference:
- (1) Müller-Lissner, S. A., Kaatz, V., Brandt, W., Keller, J., & Layer, P. (2005). The perceived effect of various foods and beverages on stool consistency. European journal of gastroenterology & hepatology, 17(1), 109–112. [Abstract] https://doi.org/10.1097/00042737-200501000-00020
- (2) Mansouri, A., Shahraki-Vahed, A., Shadadi, H., Sanchooli, H.N., Arbabisarjou, A. 2018. The effect of prune on the severity of constipation in elderly women. Bali Medical Journal 7(1): 141-145. DOI:10.15562/bmj.v7i1.847
📝 February 7, 2024
Oil Therapy 