Plums: Nutrients, What Research Shows and Safety

Plums are the fruit of Prunus domestica and related trees in the rose family (Rosaceae), the same family as peaches, cherries and apricots. The soft, juicy flesh is eaten fresh, and the dried fruit is sold as prunes (also called dried plums). People eat them for fiber, vitamins and, above all, bowel regularity. This page keeps eating the whole fruit apart from supplements and hype, and says what the research does and does not show.

Read this first

• Plums are an everyday food. A true allergy is possible, as with any food. For trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat, call 911. See food allergy basics and emergency signs.
• Prunes are the food with the most constipation trials we read, but the results are mixed: one small trial found more complete bowel movements than psyllium, while a 2025 dietitian guideline found no difference from psyllium on stool consistency or straining, on very low certainty evidence [2][3]. They can also cause loose stools or gas if you eat a lot, because the fruit contains sorbitol, a sugar alcohol that draws water into the bowel [10].
• Bone and cholesterol results come mostly from trials of dried plums, not fresh plums, and are small, mixed or low in certainty [6][7][9].
• This page is information, not a prescription. If you have a long-lasting bowel change, blood in the stool, or take medicines, ask a clinician or pharmacist.

What is in it (USDA values)

Raw plums, USDA FoodData Central item 169949 (SR Legacy). Serving shown: 1 cup, sliced (165 g). [1]

% Daily Value uses the FDA 2016 Daily Values; values vary with variety, ripeness and storage. Our USDA file covers raw plums only, so these numbers do not apply to prunes, which are dried and far more concentrated per gram. [1]

Plums contain plant pigments and phenolic compounds. Laboratory analyses of plum cultivars found anthocyanins (the red and purple pigments), chlorogenic-type acids and other phenolics, and found that plums had more anthocyanins and phenolics than peaches or nectarines. Plums also had more sorbitol than those fruits. [10] A laboratory study of cherry plums found that high-heat processing destroyed most of the heat-sensitive phenolics. [11] These are measurements in the lab, not proof of a health effect in people.

What research says

Eaten as food vs taken as a supplement or extract. Nearly all the trials above gave dried plums (prunes) as a food, not fresh plums, and some meta-analyses mixed forms. Results for prunes do not automatically apply to fresh plums, plum juice or plum extracts. We did not find trials of plum supplements in the sources we read, so we make no claim about them. Dried plum research has also been supported by a commodity board in some cases, a general risk of bias that one commentary discusses. [15] Observational studies of fruit intake in general show associations only and do not prove that a particular fruit prevents disease.

How much is a normal serving

• USDA household portions for raw plums: 1 fruit (2-1/8 inch diameter), 66 g; 1 NLEA serving, 151 g; 1 cup sliced, 165 g. [1] These are measuring units, not a recommended amount.
• We could not open the USDA MyPlate fruit page in our checks, so we do not quote an official daily fruit amount here. Check the current figure at MyPlate.gov for your age and sex.
• The prune trials above used set daily amounts (for example 50 g or 100 g of prunes in the bone trials [6][8]). That is what the studies tested, not advice. Dried fruit is more concentrated than fresh, so a small handful of prunes holds much more sugar and sorbitol than one fresh plum. Fresh, frozen, canned and dried produce each have their own pros and cons; see fresh, frozen and canned produce and fruit juice vs whole fruit.
• Cooking effects: we found a lab result that high-heat processing destroyed most heat-sensitive phenolics in cherry plums, while freeze-drying kept more. [11] We did not find a human study on what this means for health.

Safety, allergy and medicines

• Loose stools, gas and cramps. Plums contain sorbitol [10], and prunes are used because they loosen the bowel [2]. Eating a lot, especially of the dried fruit, can cause diarrhoea or cramps. The NHS notes that fruit containing sorbitol is part of a diet to ease constipation. [14] People with irritable bowel syndrome or other bowel conditions may react to it; we did not find a source we could read on plums and IBS specifically, so ask a dietitian.
• Allergy. Plum belongs to the same plant genus (Prunus) as peach. A 2026 paper states that the peach allergen Pru p 3, a lipid transfer protein, is very similar to proteins in other Rosaceae fruits. [12] We did not find a source we could read that tested plums directly, so we cannot say how often people allergic to peach react to plum. If you have had a reaction to peach, cherry, apricot or almond, ask an allergist before trying plums. Reactions can include itchy mouth and, rarely, severe anaphylaxis (call 911). See food allergy basics.
• Medicines. We did not find a source we could read describing a medicine interaction with plums as a food. Because prunes can speed the bowel, ask a pharmacist if you take medicines where the timing of absorption matters. See foods and medicine interactions.
• Kidney disease and potassium. USDA lists 157 mg potassium per 100 g in raw plums. [1] People on potassium-restricted diets for kidney disease should follow their care team's advice; dried plums are more concentrated. See foods, kidney disease, potassium and oxalates.
• Vitamin K. Raw plums contain a small amount of vitamin K (6.4 µg per 100 g). [1] People on warfarin should keep their diet steady and ask their clinician; this is a modest amount compared with leafy greens.
• Sugar. Raw plums have about 10 g sugar per 100 g. [1] People managing diabetes can see foods for blood sugar control. Dried plums are more concentrated.
• Dried fruit additives, pesticide residues, pregnancy. We could not read a sulphite or pesticide-residue source in time, so we make no claim; check the label of dried fruit. For pregnancy see foods in pregnancy.

Choosing, storing and food safety

• Wash fresh plums under running water, without soap or produce wash. [13]
• Refrigerate cut or packaged produce at 40 °F (4 °C) or below. [13]
• Keep produce bagged apart from raw meat, poultry and seafood. [13]

Related pages

• How much fiber per day and fiber side effects
• Fresh, frozen and canned produce
• Fruit juice vs whole fruit
• Foods and medicine interactions
• Foods for gut health and bloating