Figs: one trial inside a shelf of kiwifruit trials

Figs are sold for digestion, and digestion is the one place the evidence points. A network meta-analysis of 12 randomised trials in adults with constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome put natural fruits, naming kiwis and figs, ahead of dietary fibre for abdominal pain by 0.23 points (95% CrI 0.01 to 0.45), and rated that comparison high certainty. Read the node rather than the headline. Fruits are ranked through the network rather than tested against fibre head to head, and figs share that node with kiwifruit, which supplies most of the trials. A wider review of foods for chronic constipation, 23 studies and 1714 participants, found fruit ahead of psyllium by 0.36 bowel movements a week (0.25 to 0.48) among the 232 people in that comparison. Kiwifruit carried the estimate, prunes showed no difference against psyllium, and figs contributed a single trial out of the 23. That one trial is a decent one. In 80 Korean adults with functional constipation, eight weeks of Ficus carica paste shortened colon transit time and improved stool type and abdominal discomfort against placebo. The report gives significance without the size of the change, and the paste was prepared for the trial rather than bought in a shop.

The numbers, per 100 g

What a real portion looks like

• A daily 120 g portion of dried figs did not simply add itself to the diet: it was estimated to displace 23 percent of grain products, 10 percent of dairy and 5 percent of vegetables. — 88 American men and women of about 56 years, 5 weeks with 120 g of dried figs added to a self-selected habitual diet (n = 88) Evidence B source
  Estimated displacement of 4 percent of desserts, 5 percent of vegetables, 10 percent of dairy products, 23 percent of grain products

What your body absorbs

• Adding 120 g of dried figs a day for 5 weeks raised reported calcium and potassium intake in 88 adults, yet the minerals measured in their blood stayed where they were. — 88 American men and women of about 56 years, crossover, 5 weeks of usual diet against 5 weeks with 120 g of dried figs a day (n = 88) Evidence B source
  Dietary calcium and potassium significantly higher (P < 0.05); blood mineral levels nearly the same on both diets

What it does to your health

• A network meta-analysis of 12 randomised trials ranked natural fruits, figs among them, above dietary fibre for abdominal pain in constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome, by 0.23 points (95% CrI 0.01 to 0.45). — adults with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation in 12 randomised trials screened from 1085 articles (n = 12 randomised trials) Evidence A source
  Mean difference in abdominal pain -0.23 (95% CrI -0.45 to -0.01) against dietary fibre, high certainty; quality of life +7.52 (95% CrI 1.59 to 13.40) against placebo
• Pooling the trials of foods for chronic constipation, fruit beat psyllium by 0.36 bowel movements a week (0.25 to 0.48) across 232 participants. — adults with chronic constipation in 23 studies, 17 of them randomised, 1714 participants in total (n = 1714 across 23 studies; 232 in the fruit against psyllium comparison) Evidence B source
  +0.36 bowel movements per week (0.25 to 0.48) for fruit against psyllium; kiwifruit alone +0.36 (0.24 to 0.48); no difference for prunes
• In 80 Korean adults with functional constipation, 8 weeks of fig paste shortened colon transit time and improved stool type and abdominal discomfort against placebo. — adults with functional constipation, 40 on Ficus carica paste and 40 on placebo, for 8 weeks (n = 80) Evidence B source
  Significant reduction in colon transit time and improvement in stool type and abdominal discomfort against placebo; the abstract gives no effect size
• In adults with raised LDL cholesterol, 120 g of dried figs a day for 5 weeks left LDL, HDL and triglycerides unchanged, and total cholesterol drifted upward. — men and women aged 30 to 75 years with LDL cholesterol of 100 to 189 mg/dl, crossover, 5 weeks on each diet (n = 83 analysed across the two sequences) Evidence B source
  No difference in LDL, HDL or triglycerides (Bonferroni-corrected p > 0.017); total cholesterol tended to rise (p = 0.02)
• Four weeks of a large daily portion of mixed dried fruit including figs raised fasting glucose by 0.08 mmol/l against a carbohydrate-matched snack in 55 adults at cardiometabolic risk. — 55 adults with elevated BMI and at least one further cardiometabolic risk factor, crossover, 3/4 cup a day of mixed dried plums, figs, dates and raisins for 4 weeks (n = 55) Evidence B source
  Fasting glucose +0.08 mmol/l (95% CI 0.005 to 0.16; P = 0.038) against control; LDL +0.10 mmol/l (95% CI 0.01 to 0.20) against baseline; no change in blood pressure, insulin or C-reactive protein
• A fig fruit extract standardised for abscisic acid cut the glycemic index of a glucose drink by 25 percent in 10 healthy adults, at 200 mg of extract. — 10 healthy adults aged 18 to 45 with normal glucose tolerance, double-blind crossover, seven test sessions each (n = 10) Evidence B source
  Glycemic index -25 percent (P = 0.001) at 200 mg FFE-50x and -24 percent (P = 0.002) at 1200 mg FFE-10x; insulinemic index down 14 to 24 percent across doses

Safety, limits and interactions

• The 120 g daily portion of dried figs used in these trials pushed sugar intake from 23.4 to 32.2 percent of calories. — adults with elevated LDL cholesterol eating 120 g of dried figs a day for 5 weeks (n = 83) Evidence B source
  Sugar intake 23.4 ± 6.5 to 32.2 ± 6.3 percent of kcal (p < 0.0001); soluble fibre 8.2 to 12.6 g a day
• Among 54 patients sensitised to the ornamental weeping fig, 83 percent reacted on skin testing to fresh fig and 37 percent to dried fig, and seven had systemic reactions. — patients from a routine allergy screening programme of 2662 people with a positive skin test to any aeroallergen; 66 reacted to Ficus benjamina and 54 were tested with fruits (n = 2662 screened, 66 sensitised, 54 fruit-tested) Evidence C source
  Positive skin tests to fresh fig 83 percent, dried fig 37 percent, kiwi 28 percent; clinical reactions in 47 to 64 percent of the skin-test-positive patients; seven systemic reactions

What is still unknown

• In the only meta-analysis of foods for constipation, 23 studies with 1714 participants, figs are represented by 1 trial against 7 for kiwifruit, and the authors call the evidence scarce. — the published trial literature on foods, drinks and diets for chronic constipation up to July 2023 (n = 23 studies, of which fig contributes 1) Evidence B source
  No effect estimate; a count of the evidence that exists

The bottom line

Everything else the fruit is sold for came back flat, and it came back flat at a portion larger than anyone eats by habit. Two five-week crossover trials fed 120 g of dried figs a day. In 88 American adults of about 56 years, that portion raised reported calcium and potassium intake (P < 0.05), while the minerals measured in their blood were nearly the same on both diets. Five weeks is short for mineral status, the participants were already replete, and intake came from 24-hour recalls. In 83 adults aged 30 to 75 whose LDL cholesterol ran between 100 and 189 mg/dl, the same portion left LDL, HDL and triglycerides unchanged after correction for multiple testing. Total cholesterol drifted upward (p = 0.02) in a pattern that showed up only in the arm that ate figs second, over five weeks, which is short for lipids. The portion did do one thing reliably. Sugar intake climbed from 23.4 to 32.2 percent of calories (p < 0.0001) and soluble fibre from 8.2 to 12.6 g a day, measured by recall in that trial at a portion nobody eats daily by choice. Figs also do not arrive on top of a diet. In those same 88 adults the daily 120 g was estimated to displace 23 percent of grain products, 10 percent of dairy and 5 percent of vegetables. That displacement is calculated from recalls rather than observed, and the matching figure of 168 percent for beverages shows how rough the arithmetic turns at the edges. Blood sugar is where dried fruit and fig extract go opposite ways. Fifty-five adults with a high BMI and at least one further cardiometabolic risk factor ate three quarters of a cup a day of mixed dried plums, figs, dates and raisins for four weeks. Fasting glucose rose by 0.08 mmol/l (95% CI 0.005 to 0.16, P = 0.038) against a carbohydrate-matched snack. Figs were one of four dried fruits in that mix, and the comparison was against another carbohydrate snack rather than against nothing. A fig fruit extract standardised for abscisic acid moved the other way, cutting the glycemic index of a glucose drink by 25 percent (P = 0.001) at a 200 mg dose in 10 healthy adults aged 18 to 45. That is a concentrated extract stirred into a sugar drink, in ten people, and it says nothing about eating a fig. Who should be careful has one precise answer here. Among 54 patients from an allergy screening programme who were sensitised to the ornamental weeping fig, Ficus benjamina, skin tests came back positive to fresh fig in 83 percent and to dried fig in 37 percent. Kiwi followed at 28 percent and papaya at 22 percent, and seven of those patients had systemic reactions. Those are allergy clinic patients, so the percentages describe a sensitised group and not a risk for everyone. If the houseplant has ever given you trouble, treat the fruit with care. Past that, and past what a 120 g portion does to the sugar in a day, we found no trial of figs in pregnancy, in children, or against any medicine.

Sources

1. figs-r5-06 · randomised crossover trial
   The estimated displacement suggests that eating figs resulted in the elimination of 4% of desserts, 5% of vegetables, 10% of dairy products, 23% of grain products and 168% of beverages from other sources that participants would otherwise consume.
   Public Health Nutr, 2015 · checked 2026-09-24
2. figs-r5-05 · randomised crossover trial
   Nevertheless, data on mineral levels in the body gathered by means of biochemical analyses from blood samples were nearly the same for both the figs-added and the participants' standard diet.
   Public Health Nutr, 2015 · checked 2026-09-24
3. figs-r5-01 · network meta-analysis of RCTs
   Network meta-analysis results demonstrated natural fruits were more effective than dietary fiber in alleviating abdominal pain (MD, -0.23 [95% credible interval (CrI), -0.45 to -0.01]; high-certainty evidence, category 1). ... Natural fruits, such as kiwis and figs, represent the most efficacious functional foods for managing IBS-C.
   Nutr Rev, 2026 · checked 2026-09-24
4. figs-r5-02 · systematic review and meta-analysis
   Fruits resulted in higher stool frequency than psyllium (MD: +0.36 bowel movements [BM]/week, [0.25-0.48], n = 232), kiwifruits in particular (MD: +0.36 BM/week, [0.24-0.48], n = 192); there was no difference for prunes compared with psyllium.
   Aliment Pharmacol Ther, 2024 · checked 2026-09-24
5. figs-r5-04 · randomised controlled trial
   F. carica paste supplementation was associated with a significant reduction in colon transit time and a significant improvement in stool type and abdominal discomfort compared with the placebo.
   Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, 2016 · checked 2026-09-24
6. figs-r5-07 · randomised crossover trial
   Low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations did not differ between usual and figs-added diets (Bonferroni-corrected p > 0.017), while total cholesterol tended to increase with fig consumption (p = 0.02).
   Ann Nutr Metab, 2011 · checked 2026-09-24
7. figs-r5-09 · randomised crossover trial
   Compared with the control, dried fruit increased mean fasting glucose (0·08 mmol/l, 95 % CI 0·005, 0·16; P = 0·038).
   Br J Nutr, 2020 · checked 2026-09-24
8. figs-r5-11 · randomised crossover trial
   Test beverages containing 200 mg FFE-50× and 1200 mg FFE-10× significantly reduced GI values by -25% (P = 0.001) and -24% (P = 0.002), respectively.
   Nutrients, 2019 · checked 2026-09-24
9. figs-r5-08 · randomised crossover trial
   Sugar intake increased from 23.4 ± 6.5 to 32.2 ± 6.3% of kcal in the figs-added diet (p < 0.0001).
   Ann Nutr Metab, 2011 · checked 2026-09-24
10. figs-r5-10 · prevalence study
    Sensitization to FB was specifically associated with positive skin tests to fresh fig (83%), dried fig (37%), kiwi fruit (28%), papaya (22%), avocado (19%), banana (15%), and pineapple (10%) (n = 54).
    Clin Exp Allergy, 2004 · checked 2026-09-24
11. figs-r5-03 · systematic review and meta-analysis
    We included 23 studies (17 RCTs, 6 uncontrolled; 1714 participants): kiwifruit (n = 7), high-mineral water (n = 4), prunes (n = 2), rye bread (n = 2), mango, fig, cereal, oat bran, yoghurt, water supplementation, prune juice, high-fibre diet, no-fibre diet (n = 1).
    Aliment Pharmacol Ther, 2024 · checked 2026-09-24