A study from the International Nut & Dried Fruit Council (INC) disclosed during the conference Digestive Disease Week, that took place in San Diego, California (USA), indicates that dehydrated fruit could help relieve chronic constipation.
This reinforces previous investigations that pointed out that the fiber content in dehydrated fruits is one of its main benefits and this makes them ideal partners to improve digestion and intestinal transit.
This study, the biggest clinical trial to date, shows that eating dehydrated fruit benefits people with constipation providing more evidence that backs the recommendation to include dehydrated fruits in the diet to control constipation.
It was explained that this study was a randomized study controlled with placebo and dietary intervention that investigated the impact of dehydrated fruit, fruit juice and a placebo with fruit flavor in the symptoms of constipation.
A total of 150 patients was assigned in a random manner to one of the three groups: one group ate 90 grams of dehydrated fruit daily (raisins, prunes and dehydrated apricots); other group ingested juice from the same fruits and another ate a fruit flavored placebo.
The investigators calculated the change in the stool weight based in a seven-day recollection. They also analyzed the stools consistency and frequency, gastrointestinal symptoms, constipation symptoms, quality of life and gut microbiome. The results showed significant differences in the stool weight among the three groups with important increases after eating dehydrated fruits in comparison with the placebo. It was also observed an important increase in the complete and spontaneous stools of the dehydrated fruit group and improvements in the quality of life of the dehydrated fruit group in comparison with the placebo.
The recommended daily ingest of dehydrated fruits is from 25 to 100 grams depending on the individual needs and the dietary context. This amount is equivalent to 100 grams of fresh fruit approximately because dehydrated fruit has a higher concentration of nutrients and calories due to the loss of water during the dehydration process.
Since April the Asociación Gremial de Procesadores y Exportadores de Ciruelas Secas de Chile, Chileprunes, is a member of INC, “which implies a commitment to foster the global industry of dried and dehydrated fruits with a focus, in our case, in prunes, towards a sustainable, innovative and prosperous future”, says Pedro Acuña, Chileprunes, executive director.
