USA: A year-long randomized controlled trial published in the journal Nutrients has found that daily prune consumption did not significantly improve bone mineral density (BMD) in older men who were susceptible to, or already had, osteopenia. While some differences were observed in markers of bone metabolism, these changes did not translate into measurable improvements in bone health.

The study was conducted by Lauren T. Ormsbee from the Department of Health, Nutrition, and Food Sciences, College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences at Florida State University, along with colleagues.
Low bone mass affects millions of older adults, yet much of the existing research on dietary strategies for bone health has focused on women. Although previous studies have suggested that prunes may help preserve bone density in postmenopausal women, evidence in men remains limited. To address this gap, the researchers investigated whether daily prune supplementation could support bone health in older men at risk of osteoporosis.

The study included 59 men aged 55–80 years with lumbar spine BMD T-scores ranging from -0.1 to -2.5. Participants were randomly assigned to consume 100 g of prunes daily, 50 g of prunes daily, or no prunes. At the same time, all groups received a multivitamin providing 450 mg of calcium and 800 IU of vitamin D3.

Bone health was evaluated using DXA scans at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months. Blood samples were collected at the same time points to assess markers of bone formation, bone resorption, and inflammation.

Key Findings were as follows:
  • After 12 months, no significant changes were observed in total body bone mineral density (BMD) or lumbar spine BMD in any of the study groups.
  • Daily prune consumption, whether 50 g or 100 g, did not provide additional benefits for maintaining or improving bone density beyond those achieved with calcium and vitamin D supplementation.
  • Osteoprotegerin (OPG) levels declined in all groups over the study period.
  • The reduction in OPG was significantly greater in the control group than in the groups consuming prunes.
  • Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5b (TRAP5b), a marker of bone resorption, increased in all groups during the study.
  • The increase in TRAP5b was significantly greater in the control group compared with the group consuming 100 g of prunes daily.
  • Sclerostin (SOST), a protein that inhibits bone formation, increased significantly over time in all participants.
  • Researchers suggested that age-related increases in sclerostin levels may have contributed to the lack of measurable bone-density benefits from prune supplementation in older men.
The researchers concluded that prune supplementation, regardless of dose, did not improve total or lumbar spine bone mineral density in older men with low bone mass or osteopenia. While some bone metabolism biomarkers showed favorable changes in the prune groups, these did not translate into clinically meaningful improvements in bone density.
The authors noted that larger, longer-term studies are needed to further evaluate the effects of prunes on bone metabolism and skeletal health in older men.
Reference:
Ormsbee, L. T., Akhavan, N. S., Munoz, J., Mullins, A., George, K. S., Dawkins, K. E., Singar, S., Clarke, H., Benton, S., Ledermann, T., Kim, J. S., Sweeney, M., Basiri, R., Hickner, R. C., Zhang, Y., & Arjmandi, B. H. (2025). Prune Consumption and Bone Health in Older Men: A One-Year Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients, 18(12), 1854. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18121854
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Article Source : Nutrients journal

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Medha Baranwal

Medha Baranwal holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Delhi and a Master’s degree in Biotechnology from Amity University. Since May 2018, she has been contributing to Medical Dialogues, writing and editing medical news articles that translate complex research into clear, accessible information for healthcare professionals.

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