People who have looked into constipation treatments have likely learned about the prune. Prunes are thought to be good for treating constipation, possibly because of its high fiber content. However, many people don’t know that prune juice is also a good constipation treatment.
The prune is simply a dried plum known by the scientific name of Prunus domestica. Archaeological evidence suggests that man has been cultivating plums and drying them for hundreds if not thousands of years. The method of processing is quite simple: 18 hours of hot air dehydration, typically at 90 degrees Celsius. After dehydration, the material can be further processed into other products like prune juice.
It’s understood that high fiber helps give prunes its laxative properties for treating constipation. The average amount of fiber in a prune is almost 6% by weight. But there is little or no fiber in prune juice so how can the juice form be of benefit? It turns out that the other major component in prunes which gives it anti-constipation properties is the sugar sorbitol.
Sorbitol is present at almost 15% by weight of prunes, and 6% by weight of prune juice. It’s a complex, polymeric sugar. That means on the molecular scale, it’s a very long chain of sugars. This property allows it to absorb and retain water in the gut as it passes through. In fact, it sometimes is used as a sugar substitute in foods that are labeled “sugar free”.
Other fruits that have high sorbitol include the pear. People who have chewed sugarless gum may have also picked up on the fact that one of the main ingredients is sorbitol. This property plus the fact that it tastes slightly sweet means that it’s made its way into many foods that are touted as low sugar.
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.
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