Prunes: the bowel claim that passed and the bone claim that has not

Prunes are the one dried fruit with a health claim the EU actually let through. The wording is modest: 100 g a day, which is about 12 prunes, contributes to normal bowel function, and the label has to state that amount. The trials behind it are smaller than the reputation. In 40 constipated adults, 50 g twice a day gave 3.5 complete bowel movements a week against 2.8 on psyllium, and that was the only constipation trial the 2014 review could find. When a 2024 meta-analysis pooled 17 trials of foods for constipation, fruit as a group beat psyllium by 0.36 movements a week, but the two prune trials on their own simply matched psyllium. In healthy people with infrequent stools, 120 g a day made stools heavier by about 33 g a day. The 22 g rise at 80 g did not reach significance on its own. Neither dose changed how fast food moved through, and prunes increased flatulence. The bone story, the other reason prunes get sold, is less settled. A 2026 meta-analysis of 11 trials and 747 people found a borderline effect at the lumbar spine and nothing at any other site, with results so scattered that the authors themselves call them preliminary. Every study here fed whole prunes or prune juice, so this page is about the fruit rather than an extract or a capsule.

The numbers, per 100 g

How much is actually in it

• Stewing prunes without sugar roughly halves the calories and potassium per 100 g because the fruit takes up water, while the USDA retention table for stewed dried fruit says the nutrients themselves survive well except folate and vitamin C. — Prunes, flesh and skin, dried and stewed without sugar, in CoFID; the group Fruits and Fruit Juices, dried, stewed, in the USDA table (n = CoFID 2,886 foods, two prune entries; USDA table code 255) Evidence E source
  CoFID per 100 g: dried (14-231) 160 kcal, 38.4 g sugars, 860 mg potassium, 22.1 g water; stewed without sugar (14-235) 81 kcal, 19.5 g sugars, 440 mg potassium, 60.4 g water. USDA-RETN-R6:255 FRUITS(DRIED),STEWED retains potassium 90%, copper 90%, vitamin B6 90%, vitamin C 70%, folate 50%, iron and magnesium 100%

What a real portion looks like

• EU law allows the bowel function claim only for a daily intake of 100 g of prunes, and the label must tell the buyer that the effect is obtained at that amount. — Food business operators using the claim on the EU market Evidence E source
  Condition of use: daily intake of 100 g of dried plums (prunes)
• One dried prune weighs about 8 g and a cup about 160 g in the USDA portion table, so the 100 g a day behind the EU bowel claim is roughly 12 prunes. — Prune, dried, FNDDS food code 62122100, WWEIA category Dried fruits (n = FNDDS 5,432 foods, 22,046 household measures) Evidence E source
  1 prune 8 g, 1 cup 160 g, quantity not specified 40 g

What it does to your health

• In a 2024 meta-analysis of 17 randomised trials on foods for chronic constipation, fruits raised stool frequency over psyllium by 0.36 bowel movements a week, but the two prune trials showed no difference from psyllium. — Adults with chronic constipation, 23 studies and 1714 participants, 2 prune trials (n = 1714) Evidence A source
  Fruits vs psyllium MD +0.36 BM/week (95% CI 0.25 to 0.48, n = 232), prunes vs psyllium no difference
• A 2014 systematic review found four randomised trials of prunes on gut function, and in the one constipation trial 100 g of prunes a day for 3 weeks gave 3.5 complete bowel movements a week against 2.8 on psyllium. — Four RCTs, one in constipated adults and three in non-constipated subjects (n = 4 trials) Evidence A source
  Stool frequency 3.5 vs 2.8 CSBM/week (P = 0.006), Bristol score 3.2 vs 2.8 (P = 0.02) vs psyllium 22 g/day
• In the Prune Study, 100 g of prunes a day for 12 months lowered circulating activated monocytes by 1.8% while they rose 0.1% in controls, without changing CRP, antioxidant capacity or plasma cytokines. — Postmenopausal women aged 55 to 75, 235 recruited and 183 completed (n = 183) Evidence B source
  Activated monocytes -1.8% (SD 4.0) vs +0.1% (SD 2.9), P < 0.01; hs-CRP, TAC, 8-isoprostane and plasma cytokines unchanged
• In 143 postmenopausal women, 12 months of 50 g of prunes a day reduced the evenness of gut bacteria and prunes enriched the family Lachnospiraceae, with the gut microbiome shifting differently at each dose. — 143 compliant postmenopausal women aged 55 to 75, no prunes 52, 50 g 54, 100 g 37 (n = 143) Evidence B source
  Pielou evenness lower at 50 g (p = 0.026), beta diversity differed by treatment (PERMANOVA p = 0.005), Lachnospiraceae enriched (LEfSe LDA 4.5)
• The 9 prospective cohort studies in a systematic review of traditional dried fruit linked 3 to 5 or more weekly servings with 24% fewer precancerous colorectal polyps, 49% lower prostate cancer incidence and 65% lower pancreatic cancer mortality. Raisins, prunes and dates were counted as one group. — Adults in 16 observational studies of traditional dried fruit intake (n = 16 studies) Evidence C source
  Relative risk reductions of 24%, 49% and 65% for colorectal polyps, prostate cancer and pancreatic cancer mortality at 3 to 5 or more servings a week

Safety, limits and interactions

• In a crossover trial of 40 constipated adults, 50 g of dried plums twice a day for 3 weeks improved complete spontaneous bowel movements and stool consistency more than fibre-matched psyllium. Both were safe and well tolerated. — 40 adults with chronic constipation, 37 women, mean age 38, 8-week single-blind crossover (n = 40) Evidence B source
  CSBM per week and stool consistency improved vs psyllium (P < 0.05), straining and global symptoms not different
• In 120 healthy adults with infrequent stools, 80 g and 120 g of prunes a day for 4 weeks raised stool weight by 22 g and 33 g a day over control, left gut transit time unchanged, and increased flatulence. — 120 healthy adults with low fibre intake and 3 to 6 stools a week, London (n = 120) Evidence B source
  Stool weight +22.2 g/d (95% CI -1 to 45.3) at 80 g and +32.8 g/d (95% CI 13.9 to 51.7) at 120 g vs -0.8 g/d control, P = 0.026, transit time unchanged
• In a double-blind placebo-controlled trial in Japanese adults with chronic constipation, prune juice reduced hard and lumpy stools and raised normal stools without increasing loose or watery stools, with no adverse events or liver and kidney abnormalities. — Japanese adults with chronic constipation, double-blind placebo-controlled Evidence B source
  Fewer hard and lumpy stools, more normal stools, no increase in loose stools, no adverse events
• In 183 postmenopausal women who completed the 12-month Prune Study, 50 or 100 g of prunes a day did not change blood glucose control or lipids, while android fat mass rose 3.19% in controls and stayed flat on 100 g of prunes. — 183 postmenopausal women, mean age 62, control 70, 50 g/d 67, 100 g/d 46 (n = 183) Evidence B source
  Glycaemic and lipid markers unchanged (all P > 0.05), android total mass +3.19% in control vs -0.02% in 100 g group (P < 0.01)

What people believe that the data does not support

• The EU register carries one authorised health claim for prunes, that dried plums of prune cultivars contribute to normal bowel function. — EU register of nutrition and health claims, snapshot of 2026-09-21 Evidence E source
  Status Authorised
• The EU refused the claim that prunes are a natural or good source of antioxidants or are high in antioxidants, so that wording may not be used on prune packaging in the EU. — EU register of nutrition and health claims, snapshot of 2026-09-21 Evidence E source
  Status Non-authorised
• The EU refused every bowel and digestion claim submitted for prune juice, including the natural laxative wording, while authorising the bowel function claim for whole dried prunes. — EU register of nutrition and health claims, snapshot of 2026-09-21 Evidence E source
  Status Non-authorised

Who this works differently for

• In the 12-month Prune Study of 235 postmenopausal women, 50 to 100 g of prunes a day preserved cortical bone density and estimated strength at the tibia while both fell in the control group. — 235 postmenopausal women aged about 62, control 78, 50 g prunes 79, 100 g prunes 78 (n = 235) Evidence B source
  Group by time interaction for cortical vBMD (p = 0.012) and SSI (p = 0.024) at the 14% tibia, decrease in control vs no change in pooled prune group
• In 160 osteopenic postmenopausal women, 100 g of dried plum a day for 12 months on top of 500 mg calcium and 400 IU vitamin D increased bone density of the ulna and spine compared with dried apple. — 160 women 1 to 10 years postmenopausal, not on hormone therapy, dried plum vs dried apple (n = 160) Evidence B source
  BMD of ulna and spine increased vs dried apple, bone turnover markers BSAP and TRAP5b fell only with dried plum
• In 18,888 Norwegian pregnant women, eating dried fruits including prunes was associated with 18% lower odds of spontaneous preterm delivery. — 18,888 women in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort, 950 spontaneous preterm deliveries (n = 18,888) Evidence C source
  OR 0.82 (95% CI 0.72 to 0.94), P = 0.005, for dried fruits as a group

What is still unknown

• A 2026 meta-analysis of 11 randomised trials with 747 participants found only a borderline benefit of 50 to 100 g of prunes a day on lumbar spine bone density in postmenopausal women, with no significant difference at other sites. — Postmenopausal women and other adults in 11 randomised controlled trials, 747 participants (n = 747) Evidence A source
  Lumbar spine BMD SMD 1.30 (95% CI -0.03 to 2.63), I2 98%, other sites not significant
• In a one-year trial of 59 men aged 55 to 80 with low bone mass, neither 50 g nor 100 g of prunes a day changed total or lumbar spine bone density beyond what 450 mg calcium and 800 IU vitamin D3 gave. — 59 men aged 55 to 80 susceptible to or with osteopenia, three arms, all on calcium and vitamin D3 (n = 59) Evidence B source
  No significant change in total BMD or lumbar spine BMD over 12 months, secondary biomarkers OPG and TRAP5b differed between groups

The bottom line

If you are an adult with constipation, 100 g of prunes a day is the dose that was tested and the dose the EU claim is written for. That is roughly 12 prunes, more than most people picture. In the one trial that measured it against psyllium the prunes won on frequency and stool consistency, and in the pooled analysis they tied. Both were tolerated either way. Expect more wind, though. In the London trial of healthy adults, flatulence was the one recorded downside. Prune juice is a different product on paper. The EU turned down every bowel claim submitted for the juice, including the words natural laxative, and the one juice trial we hold, in Japanese adults with chronic constipation, reported fewer hard stools and no adverse events but published no numbers we could read. Bone is where the marketing runs ahead of the data. In 235 postmenopausal women, 50 to 100 g a day for a year held cortical bone at one site on the shin while it fell in the control group. In 160 women with low bone mass, 100 g a day on top of calcium and vitamin D raised density at the forearm and spine compared with dried apple. Each of those is a single trial, one on a secondary imaging outcome at one site and one with no effect sizes in its abstract. The 59 men who did the same for a year gained nothing beyond what their calcium and vitamin D gave. Pool everything and you get the borderline spine result above. Prunes are a reasonable thing to eat while better trials are run. Nothing here shows they treat osteoporosis. The rest is thinner than it looks. In the same year-long study of postmenopausal women, 100 g a day did not move blood sugar or blood fats, and fat around the middle stayed flat while it rose 3.19 percent in controls, in an ancillary analysis of secondary outcomes. The antioxidant wording was refused by the EU. The cancer figures you may have seen, 24 to 65 percent lower risk, come from 16 observational studies that lumped prunes together with raisins and dates, and the preterm birth finding in 18,888 Norwegian women did the same, with raisins the strongest single item. Neither tells you anything about prunes on their own. Two practical points from the tables. Stewing halves the sugar and potassium in every 100 g because the fruit soaks up water, so a stewed serving is milder and the nutrients are still in the fruit rather than lost, except that folate keeps only half and vitamin C about 70 percent. Dried, 100 g carries 38 g of sugar and 860 mg of potassium in the British table. What this page cannot tell you is who should stay away. Our drug-interaction layer is indexed by nutrient and has no entry for prunes, and no study of how prune nutrients are absorbed exists in our corpus. The trials enrolled constipated adults, healthy adults with infrequent stools and older people with low bone mass, no children, nobody with diabetes, and nobody with loose stools or a kidney problem. If you already take something for your bowels, or have been told to watch your potassium, that is a question for whoever treats you, and this page has no card to answer it.

Sources

1. prun-c3-19 · reference dataset
   CoFID 14-231 Prunes, flesh and skin — Energy 160 kcal · Total sugars 38.4 g · Potassium 860 mg · Water 22.1 g · Iron 2.90 mg || CoFID 14-235 Prunes, flesh and skin, stewed without sugar — 81 kcal · 19.5 g · 440 mg · 60.4 g || USDA-RETN-R6:255 FRUITS(DRIED),STEWED — potassium_mg 90% · folate_total_ug 50% · vitamin_c_mg 70% · copper_mg 90% · vitamin_b6_mg 90% · iron_mg 100%
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England / OGL v3.0, and USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors R6 (2007) · checked 2026-09-23
2. prun-c3-18 · 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 2026-09-23
3. prun-c3-20 · reference dataset
   FNDDS 2709211 Prune, dried — 1 prune 8 g · 1 cup 160 g · Quantity not specified 40 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, Prune, dried, fdc_id 2709211 · checked 2026-09-23
4. prun-c3-02 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   We included 23 studies (17 RCTs, 6 uncontrolled; 1714 participants): kiwifruit (n = 7), high-mineral water (n = 4), prunes (n = 2)...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 2026-09-23
5. prun-c3-03 · systematic review of RCTs
   Four trials met the inclusion criteria, one in constipation and three in non-constipated subjects. 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)...Meta-analysis was not appropriate due to heterogeneity in populations and methods.
   Aliment Pharmacol Ther, 2014 · checked 2026-09-23
6. prun-c3-11 · RCT
   Prune supplementation did not alter hs-CRP, TAC, 8-isoprostane, and plasma cytokine concentrations. However, percent change from baseline in circulating activated monocytes was lower in the 100 g prune/d group compared with the control group (mean ± SD, -1.8% ± 4.0% in 100 g prune/d compared with 0.1% ± 2.9% in control; P < 0.01).
   J Nutr, 2024 · checked 2026-09-23
7. prun-c3-12 · RCT
   The fecal microbiome of 143 postmenopausal women ages 55-75 who met the compliance criteria in a randomized controlled trial of a 12-month dietary intervention in one of three treatment groups - no prunes (n = 52), 50 g prunes per day (n = 54), or 100 g prunes per day (n = 37)...After 12 months, microbiomes of women consuming 50 g prunes had decreased evenness in bacteria taxa (Pielou's Evenness, Kruskal-Wallis p = 0.026)...Prunes enriched some bacterial taxa such as the family Lachnospiraceae (LEfSe LDA = 4.5).
   Food Funct, 2022 · checked 2026-09-23
8. prun-c3-13 · systematic review of observational studies
   we identified, summarized, and critically evaluated 9 prospective cohort and 7 case-control studies that examined the relations between traditional dried fruit (raisins, prunes, dates) consumption and cancer risk in humans. Prospective cohort studies determined that significant reductions in relative risk of precancerous colorectal polyps, incidence of prostate cancer, or mortality from pancreatic cancer, by, respectively, 24%, 49%, and 65%, were associated with 3-5 or more servings of dried fruits per week.
   Adv Nutr, 2020 · checked 2026-09-23
9. prun-c3-04 · RCT
   Subjects received either dried plums (50 g b.d., fibre=6 gm/day) or psyllium (11 g b.d., fibre=6 gm/day) for 3 weeks each, in a crossover trial with a 1-week washout period...Forty constipated subjects (m/f=3/37, mean age=38 years) participated. The number of complete spontaneous bowel movements per week (primary outcome measure) and stool consistency scores improved significantly (P<0.05) with dried plums when compared to psyllium...Dried plums and psyllium were rated as equally palatable and both were safe and well tolerated.
   Aliment Pharmacol Ther, 2011 · checked 2026-09-23
10. prun-c3-05 · RCT
    Subjects were randomised to 80 g/d prunes (plus 300 ml/d water); 120 g/d prunes (plus 300 ml/d water) or control (300 ml/d water) for 4 weeks...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)...but WGTT was unchanged. The incidence of flatulence was significantly higher after prune consumption.
    Clin Nutr, 2019 · checked 2026-09-23
11. prun-c3-06 · RCT
    Prune intake significantly decreased hard and lumpy stools while increasing normal stool and not increasing loose and watery stools...There were no adverse events or laboratory abnormalities of liver or renal function after prune intake.
    Am J Gastroenterol, 2022 · checked 2026-09-23
12. prun-c3-10 · RCT
    A total of 183 postmenopausal women (mean age, 62.1 ± 4.9 y) completed the entire 12-mo RCT: control (n = 70), 50 g/d prune (n = 67), and 100 g/d prune (n = 46). 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)...However, android total mass increased by 3.19% ± 5.5% from baseline in the control group, whereas the 100 g/d prune group experienced 0.02% ± 5.6% decrease in android total mass from baseline (P < 0.01).
    J Nutr, 2024 · checked 2026-09-23
13. prun-c3-15 · 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 2026-09-23
14. prun-c3-16 · 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 2026-09-23
15. prun-c3-17 · claims register
    POL-HC-7843 Prune Juice Prune juice help the maintenance of healthy body function. Prune juice help with the maintenance of health in general Prune juice helps maintain bowel regularity which can help to ensure a healthy digestion and bowel. Prune juice is beneficial to the health of the stomach and digestive system. Prune juice is good for healthy bowel function. Prune juice is good for (regular) digestion Prune juice has a natural laxative effect that can contribute to a healthy digestion and bowel. Non-authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-7843, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-23
16. prun-c3-07 · RCT
    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 2026-09-23
17. prun-c3-09 · RCT
    Qualified participants (n 160) were randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups: dried plum (100 g/d) or dried apple (comparative control). Participants received 500 mg Ca plus 400 IU (10 μg) vitamin D daily...Dried plum significantly increased BMD of ulna and spine in comparison with dried apple.
    Br J Nutr, 2011 · checked 2026-09-23
18. prun-c3-14 · prospective cohort
    We investigated intake in 18,888 women in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort (MoBa), of whom 950 (5%) underwent spontaneous PTD (<37 gestational weeks)...dried fruits (raisins, apricots, prunes, figs, and dates) [OR: 0.82 (95% CI: 0.72, 0.94); P = 0.005] were associated with a decreased risk of spontaneous PTD.
    J Nutr, 2013 · checked 2026-09-23
19. prun-c3-01 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    The effect of prune intervention in postmenopausal women was borderline significant at the lumbar spine, with BMD slightly higher in the intervention group (SMD [95% CI] = 1.30 [-0.03, 2.63]; I² = 98%; p < 0.001). No significant differences were observed at other individual BMD sites...Our meta-analysis provides preliminary evidence of modest skeletal benefits associated with consumption of 50-100 g of prunes, particularly at the lumbar spine, a trabecular-rich site. However, the overall body of research remains limited.
    Nutrients, 2026 · checked 2026-09-23
20. prun-c3-08 · RCT
    A total of 59 men (aged 55-80 years) were randomly assigned to one of three groups: 100 g prunes, 50 g prunes, or 0 g prunes (control; multivitamin only) daily, with each group also receiving 450 mg elemental calcium and 800 IU vitamin D3 via a multivitamin...No significant changes were observed in total bone mineral density (BMD) or lumbar spine BMD over one year.
    Nutrients, 2026 · checked 2026-09-23