Prune Juice Help Support Digestive Health, Here Are More Benefits Of Drinking It

Prune juice has long been used traditionally to help support digestive health but did you know that there are actually a number of lesser known, yet equally impressive health benefits of this humble fruit? Let me explain!

* Prevent Constipation

Firstly, prunes are high in dietary fibre. This creates the roughage that helps spur your gut contractions along; however, many fruits and vegetables contain fibre, so what makes prunes so unique? Importantly prunes, and their juice, also contain sorbitol which is a type of indigestible carbohydrate that is particularly abundant in stone fruits; again this ingredient helps to move things along internally. Finally, prunes contain an ingredient called diphenyl isatin. This component helpfully acts as a natural laxative which means this impressive trio of ingredients make prunes, and their juice, pretty effective for helping us go to the loo more regularly.

* Minimise haemorrhoids

Whilst people, understandably, often want a quick fix when it comes to relieving the uncomfortable symptoms of haemorrhoids, it can be helpful to try and understand what the underlying cause may be.

Haemorrhoids are actually a form of varicose vein which form in and around the anus. Varicose veins may occur as a result of an increase in fluid volume in your body, for example during pregnancy, but more commonly, as a result of excess pressure in the area or ‘straining’ when on the loo. As a result of this, we can identify constipation as a common cause of this troublesome ailment.

* Support bones in the menopause

The drop off in oestrogen levels during menopause can often be a cause for concern for any of us who worry about bone health as we get older, but is it possible that prunes could be an ingredient well worth incorporating to help offer some protection?

Research suggests that this might just be the case and, in various research trials, prunes seemed to help maintain bone mineral density (BMD), reduce bone turnover and improve the antioxidant and mineral status of bones in menopausal women. Impressive!

* Boost energy levels

Depleted energy levels are a common health complaint across doctor’s surgeries and health food stores alike. Although the causes can be varied, diet and lifestyle is a good place to start investigating.

Firstly, we need a nutritious diet to help support optimal energy levels and iron is one particular mineral to note. See, iron is an important component of haemoglobin within our red blood cells which is responsible for transporting oxygen around our bodies. If levels are low, we can be left feeling lethargic and sluggish, and you literally aren’t as oxygenated as we’d like!

* Manage high blood pressure

As I’ve already explored, I think it’s fair to say that prunes and their juice are pretty nutrient-dense. One nutrient that prunes are particularly rich in, is potassium.Potassium is not only important for helping to prevent some of the ailments I’ve already mentioned, including constipation and fatigue, but maintaining healthy blood pressure is another key role of this important nutrient.

Nowadays high blood pressure medications are often prescribed to help manage blood pressure but, for many, they are turning to more diet, lifestyle and supplement solutions. Although you need to be careful with taking potassium in supplement form if you’re on blood pressure reducing meds, potassium-rich fruits and vegetables are certainly a safe bet and there are some preliminary research trials to suggest that prunes may be a particularly effective dietary component for helping to manage hypertension.