Prunes are better than fruit juice, says new research
New research published in the British Medical Journal highlights that eating more prunes could help reduce the risks of encountering type 2 diabetes by 18%.
The study, which is released three months after EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) has already confirmed that eating 100g of California prunes every day is beneficial to digestive health, claims that, ‘there is a significant difference in the associations between individual fruits and the risk of type 2 diabetes. Greater consumption of specific whole fruits was significantly associated with lower type 2 diabetes risk, whereas greater fruit juice consumption was associated with a higher risk.’
Researchers found that replacing three servings per week of fruit juice with certain individual whole fruits reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by 7%, with some fruits, such as prunes, scoring much higher on the scale.
California Prune Board dietitian Jennette Higgs said: “Eating your five-a-day recommended fruit and vegetable requirement can be a challenge and many people reach for the fruit juice because it’s quick and easy, not realising that fruit juice is no straight swap for whole fruit when it comes to health benefits.
“There can be large amounts of sugar in a glass of fruit juice, but the all-important fibre is generally removed. So going for the easy fruit juice option instead of whole, fresh or dried fruit could be putting them at greater health risk.
“Of course, not all fruit juices are equal. It’s unlikely anyone would drink large quantities of prune juice to rehydrate. It tends to be self-limiting.”
The study, which states that replacing weekly fruit juice consumption by eating up to three portions a week of certain whole fruits, could bring health benefits.
“Three California prunes is one of your five-a-day, so they’re an easy and portable way of increasing your fruit and fibre intake, as well as being very healthy for you,” said Higgs.
