Prune Juice for Constipation

Prunes for laxatives: fact or fiction?
Eating prunes and drinking prune for some reason always makes people titter about its anticonstipation effects. Are prunes truly a kind of natural laxative or is it merely an urban legend. It turns out that prunes do exert a laxative effect, but as is the case with many foods, the laxative effect is not as strong as many other types of remedies.

The wonders of sorbitol
Prunes contain a large amount of sorbitol, which is a a type of sugar. It has some of the molecular structure of sugar, namely carbons and oxygens, but itsn't digested efficiently by our gut. As a result, when it transits through the intestine, it stays undecomposed, and retains a lot of water. The water retention makes the stool soft and helps its passage through the gut. You are not the only one trying to digest the sorbitol. Gut bacteria are able to take in some of the sorbitol. When they do, they geenerate many gases which leads to potentially embarassing situations.

Other sources of sorbitol
There are other fruits that contain sorbitol, such as apple, pear, peach and cherry. Though they don't have quite strong enough of an effect to solve medical issues, they do end up causing abdominal discomfort because of the bacterially generated gases, especially in children. However, prunes truly stand out in this category because they have such high content of sorbitol: six times higher than its nearest competitor, the lowly pear.

Adding prunes and other fruits to your diet
Even though it won't resolve serious cases of constipation, prune juice is has enough effectiveness to help one maintain a regular bowel. In so far as a diet rich in fruits and vegetables may be helpful for gastrointestinal issues, having prunes every now and then may make the stomach less uncomfortable and diminish the effects of constipation. Before having too many prunes, it might be wise to check with your physician.