Research
Micronutrients & recovery
Consuming prunes or prune juice provides a mild laxative effect primarily due to high sorbitol content, without causing excessive laxative effects at standard serving sizes.
Eat 5 prunes or drink 8 oz of prune juice daily for a mild, natural laxative effect. This is safe for most adults and provides fiber and nutrients without causing excessive digestive distress.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
The laxative action of both prune and prune juice could be explained by their high sorbitol content (14.7 and 6.1 g/100 g, respectively)... Moderate prune consumption does not produce excessive laxative effects. A standard serving of 5 prunes (40 g) or 8 oz of prune juice can be a healthy ingredient of the daily diet.
Why this rating
The paper is a review of chemical composition and potential effects, citing various studies but not presenting new primary clinical trial data.
Source
Chemical Composition and Potential Health Effects of Prunes: A Functional Food?
Maria Stacewicz‐Sapuntzakis et al. · Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition · 2001
DOI 10.1080/20014091091814
narrative_reviewCited 352×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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- Prunes do not mediate a rapid rise in blood sugar concentration despite being high in simple sugars, likely due to high fiber, fructose, and sorbitol content.Moderate
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- Prunes contain phenolic compounds that inhibit human LDL oxidation in vitro, potentially serving as preventive agents against chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer.Limited
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