The Healthy Blog for the Healthy People

Posts Tagged ‘food and drink’

Most of us who have investigated treatments for constipation will have come across the prune. These dried fruits are regarded as generally beneficial for relieving constipation, largely due to the large amount of fiber. But what many don’t know about is that the juice from prunes is also an excellent type of treatment.

The scientific term for the plum is the Prunus domestica, from which prunes are made. Anthropologists studying ancient civilizations have found evidence that cultivation of plums and processing into prunes is a very old activity dating back thousands of years. To this day, the process remains the same. Plums are dried for about 20 hours in hot air just under 100 degrees C. From there, extra processing leads to other prune-derived products.

The conventional understanding is that prunes get their laxative effects by having a lot of fiber. In fact, the fiber is over 5% by weight, which is quite high for a fruit. Prune juice however has almost no fiber because the particulates are filtered out usually. Therefore, how does prune juice benefit those who suffer from constipation? The key is sorbitol, a long complex sugar.

The content of sorbitol in prune juice is amazingly high. The sugar is a complex polysaccharide, meaning that it’s an extended chain of sugar-like molecules. When ingested, it tends to absorb a lot of water and stays in gut. In fact, because it’s not absorbed in the same way as glucose, sorbitol is often used as a sweetener that is calorie free.

The pear is another food that is high in sorbitol. If you’ve chewed sugar free gum in the past, you might have noticed that a key ingredient is sorbitol. Unlike glucose, sorbitol isn’t processed and taken in as energy. Couple that with its slightly sweet taste means that it’s the perfect sugar substitute.

What gives sorbitol its powerful anti-constipation effects? Two things that we have mentioned are responsible: the fact that sorbitol goes through the gut without being digested and the fact that sorbitol has a tendency to retain a lot of water in the intestine. Together, this means that foods with sorbitol will become bulky with fluids.

The extra water and fluids means that the food mass becomes soft, dense, and thus moves more quickly through the gastrointestinal pathway. There are a number of other laxative agents that behave this way, and they are known as either osmotic or bulk laxatives. Prune juice, fortunately, is one of those things that one may drink anyway for other health benefits. That it’s a useful laxative is an added bonus for those interested in this class of treatments.

Additional topics on constipation and treatment options can be found at the site. Discover the newest research and writings in regards to natural remedy for constipation.