Prune puree: the constipation claim, measured against psyllium

We found no study of prune puree itself, so everything here comes from whole prunes, prune juice and one USDA record for the puree. The strongest evidence points two ways. A systematic review of 4 trials reports that in constipation, 3.5 oz (100 g) of prunes a day for 3 weeks gave 3.5 complete bowel movements a week against 2.8 with psyllium, a comparison that rests on a single trial because the review pooled nothing. A 2024 meta-analysis of 23 studies in 1714 adults with chronic constipation, only 2 of them on prunes, found no difference between prunes and psyllium. In 120 healthy adults with a low fiber intake, 4.2 oz (120 g) of prunes a day for 4 weeks added 32.8 g of stool a day (95% CI 13.9 to 51.7) against no change on water, with more wind. The EU allows the bowel function claim only at 3.5 oz (100 g) of prunes a day, and the regulation does not say what that means in puree. The only study of babies here measured gut bacteria, so nothing on this page gives an amount of puree for an infant.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• The USDA reference record for prune puree lists 65.1 g carbohydrate and 852 mg potassium per 3.5 oz (100 g), from a single legacy entry with no sample spread. — USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy record, Prune puree (n = 1 record) Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: carbohydrate 65.1 g, potassium 852 mg, niacin 2.5 mg

What a real portion looks like

• In a 4-week RCT of 120 healthy adults with low fiber intake, 4.2 oz (120 g) of prunes a day raised stool weight by 32.8 g a day versus no change with water alone. — 120 healthy adults, low fiber intake, 3-6 stools per week; 80 or 120 g/day prunes vs water for 4 weeks (n = 120) Evidence B source
  Stool weight +22.2 g/d (80 g) and +32.8 g/d (95% CI 13.9-51.7, 120 g) vs -0.8 g/d control, P=0.026; more flatulence
• EU law allows the bowel function claim only for food providing 3.5 oz (100 g) of prunes a day, and the label must say the effect needs that amount. — Food business operators using the claim on the EU market Evidence E source
  Condition of use: daily intake of 3.5 oz (100 g) of dried plums (prunes)

What your body absorbs

• In a double-blind crossover study, only 33% of 21 healthy adults and 40% of 20 people with IBS fully absorbed a 10 g dose of sorbitol. — 21 healthy adults and 20 IBS patients, 10 g sorbitol, mannitol or glucose challenges (n = 41) Evidence B source
  Complete sorbitol absorption in 33% of healthy and 40% of IBS subjects

What it does to your health

• A systematic review of 4 RCTs found that in constipation, 3.5 oz (100 g) of prunes a day for 3 weeks raised complete bowel movements to 3.5 a week versus 2.8 with psyllium. — 4 RCTs; constipation trial compared prunes 100 g/day with psyllium 22 g/day for 3 weeks (n = 4 trials) Evidence B source
  3.5 vs 2.8 complete spontaneous bowel movements per week (P=0.006); stool consistency 3.2 vs 2.8 Bristol (P=0.02)
• In 183 postmenopausal women who completed a 12-month RCT, 50 or 3.5 oz (100 g) of prunes a day did not change glycemic control or blood lipids versus control. — 183 postmenopausal women, mean age 62, 50 or 100 g/day prunes vs control for 12 months (n = 183) Evidence B source
  No difference in glycemic and lipid markers (all P>0.05); android mass +3.19% control vs -0.02% at 100 g/day (P<0.01)
• A meta-analysis of 9 RCTs found plum supplementation lowered LDL cholesterol by 11.5 mg/dL, with very high heterogeneity between trials. — 9 randomized trials of fresh or dried plum supplementation (n = 9 trials) Evidence A source
  LDL-c WMD -11.52 mg/dL (95% CI -21.93 to -1.11), I2 98.7%

Safety, limits and interactions

• In an 8-week double-blind RCT of 84 Japanese adults with chronic constipation, 54 g a day of prune juice cut hard stools versus placebo from week 3 without raising loose stools. — 84 adults aged 20-75 with Rome IV chronic constipation, 54 g/day prune juice or placebo for 8 weeks (n = 84) Evidence B source
  Hard and lumpy stools significantly lower and normal stools higher than placebo after 3 weeks; loose stools unchanged

What people believe that the data does not support

• A 2024 meta-analysis of 23 studies in chronic constipation found fruits beat psyllium for stool frequency by 0.36 movements a week, but prunes showed no difference versus psyllium. — 23 studies, 1714 adults with chronic constipation; 2 prune studies (n = 1714) Evidence A source
  Fruits vs psyllium MD +0.36 bowel movements/week (0.25-0.48); prunes vs psyllium no difference
• The EU register carries one authorized health claim for prunes: dried plums of prune cultivars contribute to normal bowel function. — EU register of nutrition and health claims, snapshot 2026-09-21 Evidence E source
  Status Authorised
• The EU refused the claims that prunes are a good source of antioxidants or high in antioxidants. — EU register of nutrition and health claims, snapshot 2026-09-21 Evidence E source
  Status Non-authorized

Who this works differently for

• In a 12-month RCT of 235 postmenopausal women, eating 50 or 3.5 oz (100 g) of prunes a day preserved cortical density and estimated strength of the tibia, which fell in controls. — 235 postmenopausal women aged about 62, 50 g or 100 g prunes daily vs control for 12 months (n = 235) Evidence B source
  Group x time interaction for cortical vBMD (p=0.012) and strength index SSI (p=0.024); decline in control, no change with prunes
• In a 1-year RCT of 59 older men also taking calcium and vitamin D, 50 or 3.5 oz (100 g) of prunes a day did not change total or lumbar spine bone density. — 59 men aged 55-80 with or at risk of osteopenia, 0, 50 or 100 g prunes daily plus multivitamin for 12 months (n = 59) Evidence B source
  No significant change in total or lumbar BMD; OPG and TRAP5b differences exploratory
• In a pilot RCT of 43 breastfed infants, a week of prune as the first solid food raised gut Bacteroides ovatus and Klebsiella pneumoniae relative to beef. — 43 vaginally delivered, exclusively breastfed infants with no prior solid food, 1 week per first food (n = 43) Evidence B source
  Bacteroides ovatus P=0.001 and Klebsiella pneumoniae P=0.011 higher with prune vs beef

The bottom line

The single USDA record for prune puree lists 65.1 g carbohydrate and 852 mg potassium per 3.5 oz (100 g). It is one legacy entry with no sample spread, and it describes a commercial puree for baking, which is a different product from baby food. Prune juice has its own trial. In 84 Japanese adults with chronic constipation, 54 g a day of juice for 8 weeks cut hard stools against placebo from week 3 without raising loose stools, although the size of the effect appears only in a figure and the maker sponsored the study. The bone results come from whole prunes and industry money. In a 12-month trial of 235 postmenopausal women, 50 or 100 g a day preserved cortical density and estimated strength of the tibia, which fell in the control group. Fractures were not measured, and the California Prune Board funded it. In 59 men aged 55 to 80 who all took calcium and vitamin D, the same doses for a year did not change total or lumbar spine bone density. In 183 of those women who completed the year, prunes did not change blood sugar control or blood lipids. A meta-analysis of 9 trials found that plums lowered LDL cholesterol by 11.5 mg/dL (95% CI 21.9 to 1.1 lower), with heterogeneity of 98.7% and fresh and dried plums mixed together. Treat that as unsettled, because the 12-month trial above found no lipid change. The EU refused the claims that prunes are a good source of antioxidants, which means the evidence was judged insufficient. Some caution is real. More wind was reported at 120 g a day. In a double-blind test, only 33% of 21 healthy adults and 40% of 20 people with IBS fully absorbed a 10 g dose of pure sorbitol, though that test used sorbitol rather than prunes. In a pilot trial of 43 breastfed babies, a week of prune as the first solid food raised gut Bacteroides ovatus and Klebsiella pneumoniae compared with beef, and nobody measured whether that mattered for the babies. We have no card on allergy, pregnancy, kidney disease or medicines for prune puree.

Sources

1. prpu-daily-r8-14 · Food composition data
   Prune puree (FDC 167780, sr_legacy): carbohydrate 65.1 g; potassium 852 mg; niacin 2.5 mg per 100 g
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, Prune puree, FDC 167780 · checked 2026-09-30
2. prpu-daily-r8-03 · Randomized controlled trial
   There were significantly greater increases in stool weight in both the 80 g/d (mean + 22.2 g/d, 95% CI -1-45.3) and 120 g/d (+32.8 g/d, 95% CI 13.9-51.7) prune groups compared with control (-0.8 g/d, 95% CI -17.2 to 15.6, P = 0.026).
   Clin Nutr, 2019 · checked 2026-09-30
3. prpu-daily-r8-13 · Regulation
   The claim may be used only for food which provides a daily intake of 100 g of dried plums (prunes). In order to bear the claim, information shall be given to the consumer that the beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 100 g of dried plums (prunes).
   Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 as amended by Regulation (EU) No 536/2013, Annex · checked 2026-09-30
4. prpu-daily-r8-09 · Randomized crossover trial
   Similar proportions of patients with IBS (40%) and healthy subjects (33%) completely absorbed sorbitol, although more so with IBS absorbed mannitol (80% versus 43%; P = 0.02).
   J Hum Nutr Diet, 2014 · checked 2026-09-30
5. prpu-daily-r8-01 · Systematic review of RCTs
   In constipation, 3 weeks of prune consumption (100 g/day) improved stool frequency (3.5 vs. 2.8 CSBM per week, P = 0.006) and stool consistency (3.2 vs. 2.8 on Bristol stool form scale, P = 0.02) compared with psyllium (22 g/day).
   Aliment Pharmacol Ther, 2014 · checked 2026-09-30
6. prpu-daily-r8-07 · Randomized controlled trial
   Prune supplementation at 50 g/d or 100 g/d did not alter markers of glycemic control and blood lipids after 12 mo compared with the control group (all P > 0.05).
   J Nutr, 2024 · checked 2026-09-30
7. prpu-daily-r8-08 · Meta-analysis
   Moreover, plum supplementation reduces the LDL-c levels in the pooled sample (WMD = -11⋅52 mg/dl; 95 % CI -21⋅93, -1⋅11, P = 0⋅03, I 2 = 98⋅7 %) and also in some of the subgroups of individuals (dried plum, unhealthy subjects, duration more than 8 weeks).
   J Nutr Sci, 2023 · checked 2026-09-30
8. prpu-daily-r8-04 · Randomized controlled trial
   Subjects were randomly assigned to the prune juice group or placebo group and consumed 54 g of each test food in a day for 8 weeks... In the prune juice group, the rates of hard and lumpy stools (BSFS 1 or 2) were significantly decreased from baseline and were significantly lower than the placebo group after 3 weeks (Figure 1).
   Am J Gastroenterol, 2022 · checked 2026-09-30
9. prpu-daily-r8-02 · 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 2026-09-30
10. prpu-daily-r8-11 · Claims register
    POL-HC-8372 Dried plums of 'prune' cultivars (Prunus domestica L.) Dried plums/prunes contribute to normal bowel function Authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-8372, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-30
11. prpu-daily-r8-12 · Claims register
    POL-HC-7844 Prunes (Dried plums) Prunes are a natural source of (good for you) antioxidants Prunes are a (good) source of antioxidants Prunes are high in antioxidants Non-authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-7844, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-30
12. prpu-daily-r8-05 · Randomized controlled trial
    Women (age 62.1 ± 5.0yrs) were randomized into Control (n = 78), 50 g Prune (n = 79), or 100 g Prune (n = 78) groups... The most notable effects were observed at the 14% diaphyseal tibia in the Pooled (50 g + 100 g) Prune group, in which group × time interactions were observed for cortical vBMD (p = 0.012) and estimated bone strength (SSI; p = 0.024); all of which decreased in the Control vs. no change in the Pooled Prune group from baseline to 12 months/post.
    Osteoporos Int, 2024 · checked 2026-09-30
13. prpu-daily-r8-06 · Randomized controlled trial
    Conclusions: Overall, prune supplementation, regardless of dosing, did not increase total or lumbar BMD or aid in maintaining bone density beyond the levels achieved by Ca++ and vitamin D3 supplementation in older men susceptible to, or with, osteopenia (with a negative T-score down to -2.5 standard deviations (SD) below the mean).
    Nutrients, 2026 · checked 2026-09-30
14. prpu-daily-r8-10 · Randomized controlled trial
    Prune increased Bacteroides ovatus (P = 0.001) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (P = 0.011), whereas oatmeal cereal increased Enterococcus spp. (P = 0.030) relative to beef.
    J Nutr, 2026 · checked 2026-09-30