Prune Juice & Constipation
1) Sorbitol A sugar alcohol found in prunes, apples, pears and peaches. Prune juice has relatively high levels of sorbitol. Sorbitol is Sunsweet's favourite selling point, sorbitol is prebiotics, hard-to-digest sorbitol holds up water in the intestines. Sorbitol is most popular as the sweetener in "sugar-free" chewing gums. Over zealous gum chewing can therefore cause diarrhea and stomach pain. That's how a 21 year old woman lost 11 kilos in eight months. She must have been relieved when her doctor traced the mysterious weight loss to her gum chewing habit, thankfully not cancer. Of course, she didn't notice tiny prints on the chewing gum packet about the laxative property of sorbitol. That was what I read from BBC, on how people unknowingly soften their stools by enjoying chewing gums. 2) Dihydrophenylisatin/ dihydroxyphenyl satin The natural laxative in prunes which stimulates muscle contractions, a chemical relative of over the counter laxative biscodyl. A combination of sorbitol and dihydrophenylisatin makes prune a better constipation relief than psyllium husk which has ten times more dietary fiber. In a research supported by the California Dried Plum Board, prune increases average weekly bowel movements from 1.8 to 3.5 defeating psyllium husk , which increases bowel movements from 1.6 to 2.8. FIBER As a dried fruit, prunes are considered as high fiber food. However, prune juice which is basically soaking/heating/blending soften prunes has very little fiber. The nutritional value of various forms of prunes compared with the juice and puree is based on nutritiondata.self.com
1 g dietary fiber no fats 6 mg Omega-6 fatty acids 12 mg calcium 14 mg magnesium 71 calories mainly from carbohydrate, sugars. 100 grams prune puree 3.3 g dietary fiber No saturated fat ? monounsaturated fat ? polyunsaturated fat No omega-6 fatty acids 31 mg calcium ? magnesium 257 calories ?=incomplete value 100 grams low-moisture no dietary fiber 0.1 g saturated fat 0.5 g monounsaturated fat 0.2 g polyunsaturated fat 159 mg omega-6 fatty acids 72 mg calcium 64 mg magnesium 447 calories 100 grams prunes stewed with added sugar 3.8 g dietary fiber No saturated fat 0.1 g monounsaturated fat No polyunsaturated fat 47 mg omega-6 fatty acids 21 mg calcium 19 mg magnesium 124 calories 100 grams prunes stewed without added sugar 3.1 g dietary fiber No saturated fat 0.1 g monounsaturated fat No polyunsaturated fat 26 mg omega-6 fatty acids 19 mg calcium 18 mg magnesium 107 calories 100 grams prunes, uncooked 7 g dietary fiber 0.1 saturated fat 0.1 g monounsaturated fat 0.1g polyunsaturated fat 17 mg omega-6 fatty acids 43 mg calcium 41 mg magnesium 240 calories DOWN SIDE Unable to digest sorbitol well, the body leaves it for the gas-producing bacteria in the large intestine. This makes prune juice a "gas producer ". In a study conducted in Finland, 54 volunteers reported fewer days in defecation on days they consumed prune juice, which consisted of plum juice concentrate, prune puree, water, and fructose, 125ml twice a day. However...this "pruney" cocktail also increased flatulence. Not forgetting also the high calories.
When can a baby be introduced to prune juice as a constipation relief? Generally pediatricians give a range between two months to six months. However, the state government of Victoria advised against giving prune juice to babies under nine months of age even when diluted due to a "natural bowel irritant" which is not suitable for very little ones.
References: 1.Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics Volume 33, Issue 7, April 2011, Pages: 822–828, DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2011.04594.x“Randomised clinical trial: dried plums (prunes) vs. psyllium for constipation” Authors: A. Attaluri, R. Donahoe, J. Valestin, K. Brown and S. S. C. Rao 2.Nutrition for the Prime of Your Life By Annette B. Natow, Jo-Ann Heslin 3.Volume 27, Issue 8, Pages 511-513, August 2007, "Prune juice has a mild laxative effect in adults with certain gastrointestinal symptoms" by Laura Piirainen, Katri Peuhkuri, Karin Bäckström, Riitta Korpela, Seppo Salminen 4. Nutrition for Dummies by Carol Ann Rinzler 5. Sunsweet.co.uk/sorbitol.aspx ( p.s. they did not pay a tiny no commercial website like mine to write this article ) 6. The 24/7 Baby Doctor: A Harvard Pediatrician Answers All Your Questions from Birth to One Year by Victoria Rogers McEvoy, Florence Isaacs 7. Betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Constipation_and_children, State Government of Victoria. 8. Healing What Hurts:Fast Ways to Get Safe Relief from Aches and Pains and Other Everyday Ailments (Easyread Large Edition) by David Y. Wong 9. The Embarassing Truth About Constipation and How to Cure It by Joseph Newburg
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