Prunes (Dried Plums): Nutrients, What Research Shows and Safety

Prunes are dried plums, the fruit of Prunus domestica in the rose family (Rosaceae). The fruit is dried whole, usually with the pit removed, and the soft, sweet flesh is eaten. People eat prunes mainly for bowel regularity, and more recently for bone health. This page keeps the whole dried fruit apart from supplements and hype, and says what the research does and does not show. Fresh plums are on their own page: see Plums.

Read this first

• Prunes are an everyday food. A true food allergy is possible 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 cause loose stools or gas in some people because the fruit contains sorbitol, a sugar alcohol [14].
• Prunes are concentrated: 100 g gives 38 g of sugars and 732 mg of potassium [1]. People with kidney disease, people who take potassium-raising medicines, people managing blood sugar, and people on warfarin should ask a clinician or pharmacist (details below).
• Bone results are mixed: some 12-month trials show less bone loss with prunes, but a 2026 meta-analysis found only a borderline effect, and one trial in men found none [6][7][8][9].

What is in it (USDA values)

Prunes (dried plums), uncooked, USDA FoodData Central item 168162 (SR Legacy). Serving shown: 1 cup, pitted (174 g). One pitted prune is 9.5 g. [1]

% Daily Value uses the FDA 2016 Daily Values; values vary with variety, ripeness and storage. [1] A single pitted prune (9.5 g) gives about 0.7 g of fiber and about 5.7 µg of vitamin K by the same calculation. Our USDA file lists beta-carotene (394 µg per 100 g) and lutein plus zeaxanthin (148 µg per 100 g), which are plant pigments in the carotenoid family [1]. It does not list polyphenol values. We did not read a source that measured the plant compounds of dried plums specifically, so we do not describe them here and we make no antioxidant claim. Vitamin C is almost absent from prunes (1% of the Daily Value per cup), unlike fresh fruit such as citrus.

What research says

Eaten as food vs taken as a supplement or extract. The trials above gave whole dried plums (prunes) as a food. Some pooled analyses mixed prunes with fresh plums, juice and extracts [11], so their results do not transfer cleanly to prunes. We did not find trials of prune powders, capsules or extracts in the sources we read, so we make no claim about them. Eating more of a food that is rich in a nutrient is not proof that the food treats a disease, and studies that compare people by how much fruit they eat show associations only. Several prune trials compared prunes with a no-prune control group, so people knew what they were eating, which can affect symptom reports.

How much is a normal serving

• USDA household portions for prunes: 1 cup pitted (174 g) and 1 pitted prune (9.5 g). [1] These are measuring units, not a recommended amount.
• For dried fruit, one-half cup counts as one cup of fruit in MyPlate-style fruit groups. The University extension guide we read (revised November 2018) says adults are advised about 1.5 to 2 cups of fruit a day, depending on age and sex, and that whole fruit is preferred over juice when possible because it has more fiber. [17] This is general information, not a prescription; see the current figure at MyPlate.gov (we could not open that site ourselves).
• The prune trials above used set daily amounts: 50 g or 100 g daily in the bone trials [6][7][9][10], 50 g twice daily in the constipation trial [2], 50 g twice a week in the older-women trial [5]. That is what the studies tested, not advice.
• Dried fruit is concentrated: about 240 kcal and 38 g of sugars per 100 g, versus about 46 kcal and 10 g of sugars in raw plums (see Plums). Fresh, frozen, canned and dried produce each have their own pros and cons; see fresh, frozen and canned produce.
• Prune juice is a different product with less fiber than whole fruit. See fruit juice vs whole fruit. We did not find a trial comparing juice with whole prunes in the sources we read.
• Cooking and stewing effects on nutrients: Proper evidence not found in the sources we read.

Safety, allergy and medicines

• Loose stools, gas and cramps. Prunes are used because they loosen the bowel [2]. The NHS notes that fruit containing sorbitol helps soften stools, which also explains why large amounts may cause diarrhea, gas or cramps [14]. We did not find a source we could read that gave a tolerance amount for sorbitol in prunes, so we give none. People with irritable bowel syndrome may react to sorbitol-containing foods; ask a dietitian. See foods for gut health and bloating.
• See a doctor, not only a prune. The NHS advises seeing a GP for constipation that does not improve, blood in the stool, unexplained weight loss, tummy pain or a sudden change in bowel habit. [14]
• Kidney disease, potassium and medicines. Prunes hold 732 mg of potassium per 100 g and about 1,274 mg per cup [1]. MedlinePlus says that in chronic kidney disease the kidneys may not remove extra potassium, that some medicines can raise potassium levels, and that people with kidney disease may need a special diet [16]. The page we read does not name the medicines, so ask your pharmacist whether yours are among them (for example, ACE inhibitors, ARBs or potassium-sparing diuretics are often asked about). See foods, kidney disease, potassium and oxalates.
• Warfarin and vitamin K. MedlinePlus says sudden changes in vitamin K intake can change how warfarin works and that you may need to eat about the same amount every day [15]. Prunes contain 59.5 µg per 100 g (86% of the Daily Value per cup) [1]; the page we read lists green leafy vegetables, not prunes, as the main sources [15]. Keep intake steady and tell your prescriber if you plan to eat prunes regularly. See foods and medicine interactions.
• Sugar and diabetes. There are 38 g of sugars per 100 g [1]. In a 12-month trial, prunes did not change blood sugar control in postmenopausal women [12], but that is one group. People managing diabetes can see foods for blood sugar control and should ask their care team about portions.
• Allergy. Prunes come from a plant in the same genus (Prunus) as peach, apricot and cherry. We did not find a source we could read that tested prunes in people allergic to peach, so we cannot say how often cross-reactions happen. If you have reacted to peach or other stone fruit, ask an allergist. For emergency signs see food allergy basics.
• Sulphites in dried fruit. Some dried fruit has added sulphites, which can trigger breathing symptoms in some people with asthma. We could not open an FDA or other official sulphite page in our checks, so we cannot cite a threshold. Read the ingredient label if you are sensitive.
• Pesticide residues, pits, pregnancy. Proper evidence not found in the sources we read for dried plums specifically (we could not read a USDA Pesticide Data Program report on prunes). For pregnancy, see foods in pregnancy. Check packs for stray pit fragments even when labeled pitted.
• Bone trials had drop-outs. In the 100 g trial arm, 41% of women dropped out, versus 10% (control) and 15% (50 g) [6]. The abstract we read does not say why.

Choosing, storing and food safety

• Packaged dried fruit is not washed at home. The FDA advises rinsing fresh produce under running water, without soap or produce wash. [18]
• The FDA advises keeping produce that will be eaten raw apart from raw meat, poultry and seafood, and cutting away bruised or damaged parts. [18]
• We did not find an official source we could read on shelf life of opened dried fruit, so check the pack label.

Related pages

• Plums
• How much fiber per day and fiber side effects
• Fruit juice vs whole fruit
• Fresh, frozen and canned produce
• Foods and medicine interactions
• Foods, kidney disease, potassium and oxalates