TraditionalDriedFruits:ValuableToolstoMeetDietaryRecommendationsforFruitIntake

AriannaCarughi

PURPOSE

Itisthepositionofthisgroupthattraditionaldriedfruitsshouldbeincludedtogetherwithfreshfruits in dietary recommendations for fruit and vegetable intake around the world.Epidemiological studies have shown a consistent relationship between a diet rich in fruit andvegetablesandalowerriskformanychronicdiseasesincludingcancer,heartdiseaseandstroke,obesity and type 2 diabetes. The strength of the association between fruit and vegetableconsumptionandhealthhasledorganizationsaroundtheworldtorecommendthatpopulationsincrease their daily fruit and vegetable intake. Despite campaigns and educational efforts, asignificantgapstillremainsbetweentherecommendedamountoffruitsandvegetablesandthequantities actually consumed by populations around theworld. Traditional dried fruits provideessential nutrients, such as fiber and potassium, and an array of health protective bioactivecompounds.Theyaredevoidoffat,verylowinsodiumandhavenoaddedsugars.Becausetheyare naturally resistant to spoilage, easy to store and transport, available year round, readilyincorporated into other foods, and relatively low in cost, dried fruits represent an importantmeanstoincreaseoverallconsumptionoffruit,tobridgethegapbetweenrecommendedintakeoffruitsandtheamountpopulationsactuallyconsume.

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UygunAksoyDepartmentofHorticultureEgeUniversityIzmir,Turkey

AriannaCarughiSun‐MaidGrowersofCalifornia&CaliforniaDriedFruitCoalitionSacramento,California

JamesAndersonMedicineandClinicalNutritionUniversityofKentuckyLexington,Kentucky

MaryJoFeeneyCaliforniaDriedPlumBoardLosAltos,California

DanGallaherDepartmentofFoodScienceandNutrition,CollegeofFood,Agricultural&NaturalResourceSciences,UniversityofMinnesota,St.Paul

AndrianaKalioraDepartmentofScience&Dietetics–NutritionHarokopioUniversityAthens,Greece

VaiosKarathanosDepartmentofScience&Dietetics–NutritionHarokopioUniversityAthens,Greece

Shin‐ichiKayanoDepartmentofHealthandNutrition,FacultyofHealthScienceKioUniversityNara,Japan

JimPainterSchoolofFamilyandConsumerSciencesEasternIllinoisUniversityCharleston,Illinois

RonPriorDepartmentofFoodScienceUniversityofArkansasFayetteville,Arkansas

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PraveenVayallilDepartmentofPathologyUniversityofAlabamaatBirminghamBirmingham,Alabama

GaryWilliamsonDepartmentFoodScience&NutritionUniversityofLeedsLeeds,UnitedKingdom

TedWilsonDepartmentofBiologyWinonaStateUniversityWinona,Minnesota

TraditionalDriedFruits:ValuableToolstoMeetDietaryRecommendationsforFruitIntake

Itisthepositionofthisgroupthattraditionaldriedfruitsshouldbeincluded

togetherwithfreshfruitsindietaryrecommendationsforfruitandvegetableintake

aroundtheworld.Epidemiologicalstudieshaveshownaconsistentrelationshipbetweena

dietrichinfruitandvegetablesandalowerriskformanychronicdiseasesincluding

cancer,123heartdisease45andstroke,6obesityandtype2diabetes.78Thestrengthofthe

associationbetweenfruitandvegetableconsumptionandhealthhasledorganizations

aroundtheworldtorecommendthatpopulationsincreasetheirdailyfruitandvegetable

intake.9101112Despitecampaignsandeducationalefforts,asignificantgapstillremains

betweentherecommendedamountoffruitsandvegetablesandthequantitiesactually

consumedbypopulationsaroundtheworld.Traditionaldriedfruitsprovideessential

nutrients,suchasfiberandthemineralspotassiumandcalcium,andanarrayofhealth

protectivebioactivecompounds.Theyaredevoidoffat,verylowinsodiumandhaveno

addedsugars.Becausetheyarenaturallyresistanttospoilage,easytostoreandtransport,

lowincarbonoffset,availableyearround,readilyincorporatedintootherfoods,and

relativelylowincost,13driedfruitsrepresentanimportantmeanstoincreaseoverall

consumptionoffruit,tobridgethegapbetweenrecommendedintakeoffruitsandthe

amountpopulationsactuallyconsume.

I.DefinitionofTraditionalDriedFruits

Thecategoryof“traditionaldriedfruits”comprisesthosewherealargeportionoftheir

originalwatercontenthasbeenremoved,eithernaturallythroughsundrying(e.g.raisins

andfigs)orthroughtheuseofspecializeddryersordehydrators(e.g.driedplums).It

includesdriedapricots,peachesandotherdriedtreefruitstreatedwithsulfurdioxide

beforedryingtoinhibitbrowning.Italsoincludesdates,whichareconsideredtobedried

fruits,eventhoughmostvarietiesarenotdriedbutare"fresh"fruitwithnaturallylow

moisturecontent.Traditionaldriedfruitsdonotincludedriedfruitsinfusedwithsugar

solutionsorfruitjuiceconcentrates(e.g.driedblueberries,cranberriesorcherries),candied

driedfruits(e.g.driedpineapples)ordehydratedfruitswithverylowmoisturecontent.

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Becausetraditionaldriedfruitsareminimallyprocessed,theyretainmostofthenutritional

valueoftheirfreshcounterparts.Atthesametimenothingisaddedtothefruitsthatalters

theirnutritionalvalue.

II.ScientificSupportforRecommendationstoIncreaseIntakeofFruitsandVegetables

Therationalethatsupportsrecommendationsforpopulationstoeatmorefruitsand

vegetablesisthree‐fold:First,highfruitandvegetableintakeisassociatedwithareduced

riskofmanychronicdiseases.Second,mostfruitsandvegetablesprovidemanyessential

nutrients,includingpotassium,dietaryfiber,calcium,magnesiumandvitaminsA,CandK.

Fruitsaremajorsourcesofpotassium,fiber,andvitaminC.Ofthese,fiberandpotassium

areofparticularpublichealthconcernbecauseworldpopulationsunderconsumethem.

Third,mostfruitsandvegetablesareverylowinsodium,whenpreparedwithoutaddedfats

orsugars,arerelativelylowincaloriesandthefiber/sugarratioishigh.

III.FruitandVegetableIntakeandChronicDisease

TheWorldHealthOrganization(WHO)estimatedin2000that2.7milliondeaths(4.9%)

and26.7milliondisabilityadjustedlifeyearswereattributabletolowfruitandvegetable

intakeglobally.14Further,31%ofischemicheartdisease,20%esophagealcancer,19%of

ischemicstroke,19%ofgastriccancerand12%oflungcancergloballycouldbeprevented

byincreasingdietaryintakeoffruitsandvegetablestotheminimumrecommended

establishedbytheWHO(400gramsoffruitsandvegetablesadayortheequivalentoffive

servingsof80gramseach).15AmongEuropeannations(EU‐15),theestimatednumberof

deathsthatcouldbepreventedrangefrom44,000iffruitandvegetableintakewereto

reach400gperdayand121,000ifconsumptionweretoreach600gperday.16Although

lowfruitandvegetableintakeisonlyoneofthemanyriskfactorsforcardiovasculardisease

andcancer,itsimpactissignificant.Forexample,findingsfromtheWHOGlobalBurdenof

DiseaseStudyshowthat28%oftheburdenofischemicheartdiseaseindevelopedregions

oftheworld(includingEurope,NorthAmerica,AustraliaandJapan)couldbeattributedtoa

lackoffruitandvegetablesinthediet.17Thiscompareswith58%fromhighbloodpressure,

63%fromhighcholesterol,33%fromoverweight,22%fromphysicalinactivity,22%from

tobaccoand0.2%fromalcoholintake.Usingindustrydrydownratiosforfruit(fresh:

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dried)iaservingofdriedfruitwouldmakeasignificantcontributiontowardsmeetingthe

weightrecommendationsforfruitandvegetableintake.

Figure1.Prevalenceoflowfruitandvegetableconsumptionformenandwomencombined(pooledsampleof52countries)byage

strata1

1WorldHealthSurvey2002–2003,AdaptedfromHallJN,MooreS,Harper,SBandLynchJW.Globalvariabilityinfruitandvegetableconsumption.AmJPreventiveMed.2009;36(5):402‐409.

Despitethesestatisticsasignificantgapstillremainsbetweenfruitandvegetable

recommendationsandthequantitiespopulationsactuallyconsume.Arecentanalysisof

datafrom52countriestakingpartintheWorldHealthSurvey(2002‐2003)showedthat

78%ofrespondentsatelessthantheminimumrecommendedfivedailyservingsoffruits

andvegetables.18Thehighpercentageoflowfruitandvegetableintakewasseenamongthe

richandthepoor(73.4%and81.6%fortopandbottomincomequintiles);amongthe

iIndustrydrydownratiosvaryconsiderabledependingonthetypeoffruitanddryingmethod.Forexample,itisapproximately1:2.5‐3.5forMediterraneanapricots;1:3forCaliforniaplums,1:3.3forCalimyrnafigsand1:4‐4.25forraisins.Usinga40gservingsizethisisequivalentto100,120and170goffreshfruit.

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youngandtheold(Figure1);inurbanandruralareas,andforbothmenandwomen.ii

SimilardataareavailablefromAustralia,19SouthAfrica,20England21andtheUnitedStates.22

Lookingatfruitintakealone,intheUSmorethan75%ofadultmenandwomenfailtoreach

theminimumrecommendleveloffruitperday,intakesbeinglowamongallagegroups

(Table1).23Infact,accordingtotherecentlyreleasedDietaryGuidelinesforAmericans

(DGA),fruitsaresecondonlytowholegrainsinrepresentingthelargestgapbetweenusual

intakeandtherecommendedgoal(Figure2).23

Table1.MedianintakesoffruitintheUnitedStatescomparedtorecommendedintakebyage‐sex1

MedianIntakes

(cupequivalent)

MinimumRecommendedIntake

(cupequivalent)AdultMen 0.9 2

AdultWomen 0.8 1.5

AdolescentBoys 0.8 2

AdolescentGirls 0.6 1.5

Boys9–13 0.8 1.5

Girls9–13 0.8 1.5

1DatatakenfromtheReportoftheDietaryGuidelinesforAmericansCommitteeontheDietaryGuidelinesforAmericanshttp://www.cnpp.usda.gov/dgas2010‐dgacreport.htm

IV.Essentialnutrientsprovidedbydriedfruits

a.Potassium

Driedfruitsareaparticularlysignificantsourceofdietarypotassium.Onaperserving

basis(40gorabout1/4cup)driedfruitsrankamongthetoppotassiumsourcesindietsiiLowfruitandvegetableconsumptiondefinedasfewerthanfiveservingsorlessthan400goffruitandvegetablesdaily.

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aroundtheworld.Ascanbeseenfromthechartsbelow(Figure3),driedfruitscompare

positivelyinpotassiumcontenttothemostcommonfreshfruitoptions.

Itisnowrecognizedthatincreasingdietarypotassiumintakecanlowerblood

pressure.24Ahigherintakeofpotassiumalsoattenuatestheadverseeffectofsodiumon

bloodpressure.Potassiumintakeisverylowamongmostchildrenandadultsandsohas

Figure2.Usualintakeofspecificfoodsaspercentofgoalinthe

UnitedStates1

1AdatedfromtheDietaryGuidelinesforAmericans2010.Basedondatafrom:USDA,AgriculturalResearchCenterandU.S.DepartmentofHealthandHumanServices,CenterforDiseaseControlandPrevention.WhatWeEatinAmerica,NHANES2001‐2004and2005–2006.

becomeasubstantialpublichealthconcernforhealthagenciesaroundtheworld.2526The

InstituteofMedicine(IOM)hassettheAdequateIntake(AI)forpotassiumforadultsat

4,700milligramsperday.Usingthisvalueasareference,potassiumintakeacrosscountries

inNorthAmerica,Europe,AsiaandOceania(Figure4)isconsistentlylow.25Meanpotassium

intakerangefrom1,700mgperday(China)to3,700mgperday(Finland,theNetherlands,

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Poland).IntheUSusualpotassiumintakeofthepopulationis56%oftherecommended

goal.

Figure3.Potassiumcontentofthe10mostcommonlyconsumedfreshfruits1andofdriedfuits2

1Weightofasfollows:apple132g;banana101g;grapes151g;mango165g;orange131g;peach130g;pear148g;pineapple165g;strawberries152g;watermelon150g.Thesevaluesareforstandardservings.WHOrecommendsaminimumof5servingsoffruitandvegetableperdayor400g.2DatafromtheUnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture/AgriculturalResearchServiceNutrientDataLaboratoryhttp://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

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Figure4.Currentpotassiumintakesanddifferencesfromtherecommended(AdequateIntakeof4,700mg,IOM)levelfordifferent

countries1

1DataforJapantakenfromtheNIPPONDATA80/90ResearchGroup.Turinetal.JEpidemiol2010;20(3S):S567‐S575.DatafortheothercountriesfromvanMierloAJetal.ArchIntMed2010;170(16):1501‐1502

b.Fiber

Driedfruitsareanimportantsourceofdietaryfiber.Onaperservingbasis(40gor

about1/4cup)driedfruitsdeliverover9%ofthedailyvalueoffiber,dependingonthe

fruit.27Ascanbeseenfromthechartsbelow(Figure5),driedfruitscomparefavorablyin

theirfibercontenttocommonfreshfruitoptions.

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Figure5.Fibercontentof10mostcommonlyconsumed

freshfruits1anddriedfuits2

1Weightofservingsasfollows:apple132g;banana101g;grapes151g;mango165g;orange131g;peach130g;pear148g;pineapple165g;strawberries152g;watermelon150g.2DatafromtheUnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture/AgriculturalResearchServiceNutrientDataLaboratoryhttp://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

Highfiberdietsarerecommendedtoreducetheriskofdevelopingvariousconditions

includingconstipation,type2diabetes,andobesity,andlaterinlife,diverticulitis,colorectal

cancerandcardiovasculardisease.Healthagenciesaroundtheworldrecommendthat

peopleconsumehighfiberdiets.USfiberrecommendationsforbothchildrenandadultsare

14gramsoffiberforevery1,000caloriesoffoodconsumedeachday.Thisbecomes25to

38gramsoffiberperdaydependingonageandgender.However,inadequateintakeof

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fiberiswidespread.IntheUSlessthan3%ofAmericansolderthan1yearexceedtheAI(38

grams)forfiberconsumption.

c.Otheressentialvitaminsandminerals

Becausedifferenttypesoffruitdifferwidelyintheirnutrientcontent,nationaland

internationalagenciesrecommendchoosingfromavariety.Driedpeachesandapricotsare

animportantsourceofprovitaminAactivityandcarotenoids(Figure6).Driedplumsare

particularlyhighinVitaminK(24microgramsper40gramservingor30%DV).27Driedfigs

arehighincalcium(over10%dailyvalueaccordingtovariety),andmanganese(15%DV).

RaisinsanddriedplumsareamongthetopsourcesofboronintheAmericandiet.2829

Analysisofaselectionofdriedfruit(sultanas,Carinacurrants,Zantecurrants,apricotsand

plums)fromAustralia,California,Turkey,IranandSouthAfrica,showedthattheyprovided

significantamountsofseveralmicronutrientssuchasiron,manganese,copper,zinc,

seleniumandfolicacidatlevelsrangingfrom5to20%USDailyValueper40gram

serving.30Levelsdifferedaccordingtodryingmethod,andregionalandvarietalfactors.

WhiledriedfruitsdonotprovidevitaminC,intheUnitedStatesandindustrialized

countriesintakesofvitaminCmeetorexceedrequirements.31323334Forexample,inthe

UnitedStates69%ofthepopulationhaveintakesofvitaminCabovetheserequirements.In

themostrecentDGAreporttheDGACommitteeconcludesthat,“ItisunlikelythatvitaminC

isofmajorpublichealthsignificanceforthevastmajorityofhealthyindividualsintheUS.”35

ThisisprobablybecauseintheUSandmanyindustrializedcountries,childrenand

adolescentsconsumemorethanhalfoftheirfruitintakeasjuice.However,whilefruitjuice

providespotassiumandvitaminC,itlacksmuchofthefiberofthewholefruit.Including

driedfruitsalongsidefreshfruitindietaryrecommendationsexpandstherangeofnutrients

availabletothepopulation,particularlyofthosenutrients,fiberandpotassium,thatwould

benefitthemajorityofpeople.

V.DriedFruitsLackConstituentsConsumedinExcessinWesternDiets

Westerndietsarecharacterizedbyintakeofexcessiveamountsofsodium,solidfats,

andaddedsugarsthatreplacenutrient‐densefood,makingitdifficultforpeopletoachieve

recommendednutrientintakeandcontrolcaloricvalueofthediet.Likefreshfruit,

traditionaldriedfruitsarefreeoffat,transfats,saturatedfatandcholesterol.Driedfruits

alsohaveverylowsodiumcontent.Becausefruitsrequirenofatorsalttomakethem

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palatable,theyarechoicefoodstoreducesodiumandsolidfatsinthedietandareatthe

coreofhealthydietarypatterns.Traditionaldriedfruitsalsohavenoaddedsugars.Drying

removespartofthefruits’waterandsoconcentratestheirnaturalsugars.This,however,is

normalizedbyasmallerservingsize.

Figure6.CarotenoidandvitaminAcontentofselecteddriedfruits1

Fruit Driedpeach Driedplum DriedapricotVitaminA(IU)per

40gramserving

865 312 1442

1DatafromtheUnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture/AgriculturalResearchServiceNutrientDataLaboratoryhttp://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

VI.TraditionalDriedFruits:IntegralPartofHealthyDietaryPatterns

Dietsaroundtheworldareverydifferent,soarethedietrelatedhealthoutcomessuch

asbloodpressure,riskofcardiovasculardiseaseandtotalmortality.Consensusisemerging

thateatingdietsthatfollowcertaindietarypatternsisassociatedwithalowerriskofmajor

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chronicdiseases.ExamplesofthesepatternsaretheDietaryApproachestoStop

HypertensionorDASH‐stylepatterns,theMediterraneanstyledietarypatterns,and

vegetariandiets.Acommonfeatureofthesedietsisemphasisonfruits,vegetablesand

otherplantfoods.Accordingly,fiberintakeishighandsaturatedfatislow.Driedfruitsare

verycommoncomponentsofthesetypesofdiets.Thismayexplainwhyananalysisfrom

NHANES(1999‐2004)3637datashowedthatintakeofdriedfruitisassociatedwithlower

bodymassindex(BMI),reducedwaistcircumferenceandabdominalobesity.Driedfruit

consumptionwasalsoassociatedwithimprovednutrientintake(highervitaminA,vitamin

K,potassium,iron,magnesiumandfiber),morefruitsservingsperdayandhealthieroverall

diets(asmeasuredbyasignificantlyhigherHealthyEatingIndex,HEI2005)inbothadults

(19+)andchildren.Whilethesedataareassociational,theysuggestthatthosepeoplethat

eatdriedfruitaremorelikelytofollowhealthyeatingpatterns.

VII.DriedFruits:ASourceofHealthProtectiveBioactiveCompoundsandAntioxidantCapacity Driedfruitsareexcellentsourcesofphenoliccompoundsinthediet.3839404142

Thesemakeupthelargestgroupofplantbioactivecompoundsorphytochemicalsinthe

dietandtheyappeartobe,atleastinpart,responsibleforthehealthbenefitassociatedwith

theconsumptionofdietsabundantinfruitsandvegetables.Phenoliccompoundscontribute

themostantioxidantcapacityoffruitsandvegetables43andhaveamultitudeoffunctional

capabilities,whichmayhaveabeneficialeffectonhealth.Valuesforantioxidantcapacity

(OxygenRadicalAbsorbanceCapacityorORAC)andtotalphenoliccontentofaselectionof

driedfruitareshowninTable2.Valuesaremuchhigherfordriedfruitthanthe

correspondingvaluesforfreshbecauseantioxidantsareconcentratedduringthe

dehydrationprocess.LipophilicORACvaluesareverylowinmostfruitsandvegetables

comparedtohydrophilicvalues,whichmakeup90%ormoreoftotalantioxidantcapacity.

Whilethereislossandmodificationofspecificpolyphenolsduringdrying,totalantioxidant

capacityandtotalpolyphenolcontentarerelativelyunchangedduringtheprocess,implying

thatmanyofthephenoliccompoundsareyetunidentified.44Thiscouldincludeoligomeric

orpolymericproductsthataredifficulttocharacterize.Proanthocyanidinsdetectedinplum

andgrapesareabsentindriedplumandraisins,whichsuggeststhatthesecompoundsare

degradedduringthedryingprocess.45Anthocyaninsarenotdetectedindriedfruitsandare

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likelydegradedtophenolicacids.Muchworkneedstobedoneinthisarea.Availabledata

showsthatdriedfruitshaveauniquespectrumofphenols,polyphenolsandtannins.In

raisins,themostabundantphenoliccompoundsaretheflavonoidsquercetinand

kaempferol,andthephenolicacidscaftaricandcoutaricacid.46Thepredominantphenolic

compoundsinGreekcurrantsarevanillic,caffeic,gallic,syringic,p‐coumaric,and

protocatechuicacidsandtheflavonoidquercetin.47Hydroxycinnamates,especially

chlorogenicacidisomersarethemajorphenolicsindriedplums,representingmorethan

94%ofthetotal.48Rutinisthepredominantflavonol.49Driedplumsalsocontainquinic

acidthatismetabolizedtohippuricacid,whichsomeresearchsuggestshelpsprevent

urinarytractinfections.5042Informationonphenoliccompoundsindatesiscomplexsince

compositionvariessignificantlyaccordingtovarietyandmaturationstages.5152Verylittle

informationisavailableontheantioxidantcharacterizationofotherdriedfruits.

Table2.Totalphenoliccontentandantioxidantactivityofdriedfruits,grapesandplums1

DriedFruit TotalPhenolics (mgofGAE/gwet

weight)

L‐ORAC

(μmTE/g)

H‐ORAC

(μmTE/g)

DegletNoordates 6.6±1.1 0.32±0.16 39±3

Medjooldates 5.7 0.27 24

Driedfigs 9.6±0.1 1.8±0.1 32±3

Driedplums 12±1.6 1.8±0.6 84±17

Raisins 10.7±1.6 0.35±0.13 30±5

Grapes 1.5±0.1 ‐ 11±2

Plums 3.6±1.1 0.17±0.1 62±20

1DatafromtheUnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture/AgriculturalResearchServiceNutrientDataLaboratoryhttp://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

VIII.DispellingMyths

Contrarytothepopularperceptionthatdriedfruitpromotecavities,recentstudies

indicatethattheymayactuallypromoteoralhealth.Bioactivecompoundsfoundinraisins

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anddriedplumsappeartohaveantimicrobialpropertiesthatinhibitthegrowthofbacteria

thatcausecavitiesandgumdisease.53Driedfruitsalsoexhibitrapidclearingrates,placing

themamongtheleastretentivefoodswithinasampleofsnackfoods.54Raisinshavebeen

showntoattenuateacidogenicityofeatingcereals;55andtoblockinvitrobiofilmformation

andadherenceofbacteriatoexperimentalsurfaces.56Finally,mostdriedfruitscontain

minimalamountsofcariogenicsucrose.

Anothermisconceptionisthatdriedfruits,becauseoftheirsweetness,exertahigh

glycemicandinsulinresponse.Recentstudiesactuallyshowthattraditionaldriedfruits

havealowtomoderateglycemicandinsulinindex(Table3)andaglycemicandinsulin

responsecomparabletofreshfruits.57585960Thiscouldbeduetothepresenceoffiberand

polyphenols,phenolsandtanninsthatcanmodifytheresponse.61626364Foodswithalow

glycemicindexmayhelptodecreasetheriskofdiabetesandareusefulinthemanagement

oftheestablishedcondition.

Table3.GlycemicIndexoftraditionaldriedfruits

Fruit GlycemicIndexDriedapricots

1 30

Driedpeaches2 35

Driedplums3 29

Raisins4 52

Dates5 39

Driedapples6 29

DriedFigs7 61

1Averageof3reportedvalues.GlycemicIndexDatabase:SydneyUniversity'sGlycemicIndexResearchService(SUGiRS)HumanNutritionUnit,SchoolofMolecularandMicrobialBiosciences,SydneyUniversityhttp://www.glycemicindex.com.2,3,6,7GlycemicIndexDatabaseSUGiRS(seeabove)4KimY,HertzlerSR,ByrneHK,MatternCO.NutrRes2008;28:304‐85MillerCJ,DunnEV,HashimIB.SaudiMedJ2002;23(5):536‐8

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IX.OtherReportedHealthBenefitsSpecifictoDriedFruits

Driedfruitspromotedigestivehealth.

Thereisconsiderableresearchsupportingtheroleofdriedfruitparticularlyin

regulatingbowelfunctionandmaintainingahealthydigestivesystem.6566Recently

publishedresearchshowsthatdriedplumsaremoreeffectivethanpsylliumforthe

treatmentofmildtomoderateconstipation,andshouldbeconsideredasafirstline

therapy.67Studiesalsoindicatethatraisinsalsoprovideprebioticcompoundssuchas

fructans,whichmayhelptomaintainintestinalbalanceandcolonichealth.6869

Driedfruits,particularlydriedplums,maypromotebonehealth.

Researchconductedwithdriedplumsindicatesthattheyhavearoleinsupportingbone

health.Animalstudiesshowthatdriedplumsreducelossofboneindifferentmodelsof

osteoporosis.707172Thismaybebecausetheyarerichinphenoliccompounds,suchas

phenolicacidsandlignans,whichmaystimulateboneformationandenhanceosteoblast

activity.73Driedfruitshavealsobeenfoundtocontainisoflavonesthatmaycontributeto

theeffect.7475Driedfruitsareagoodsourceofothernutrientsreportedtoinfluencebone

healthincludingcalcium,magnesium,vitaminKandboron.Forexample,100gofdriedfigs

hashighercalciumcontentthanthesamequantityofmilk.Boronispostulatedtoplayarole

inosteoporosispreventionandlowboronintakeshavebeenshowntoimpairbone

strength.76

X.DriedFruitsandDietaryRecommendationinDifferentCountries

TraditionaldriedfruitsqualifyfortheProduceforBetterHealthFoundation’s“Fruit&

Veggies:MoreMatters”logo,whichrequiresthatnothingbeaddedtothefruitthatalter

theirnutritionalvalue.TheDietaryGuidelinesforAmericanshavelongconsidereddried

fruitsas“wholefoods”nutritionallyequivalenttofreshfruit.iiiDriedfruitsarealsoincluded

asequivalenttofreshfruit(insmallerservingsizes)incurrentdietaryrecommendationsin

Argentina,Australiaiv,Britainv,Canada,France,Germany,ItalyviandSweden.77Itis

importanttonotethatwhileallofthesecountriesemphasizevarietyinfruitselection,some

(i.e.UK,SouthAfricaandAustralia)limittheamountofdriedfruitthatshouldbeconsumed

iii¼cupofdriedfruit(rangingfrom36to43grams,dependingonthefruit)countsasoneservingoffruit.ivOnly1servingperdaybecausedriedfruitsmay“contributetotoothdecay.”vServingsizeis30grams.viRaisinsandotherdriedfruitcan“improvedigestivehealth”

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onadailybasis.Thisiscounterintuitiveassomedriedfruitsare,andhavebeenfor

centuries,staplefoodsindifferentregionsoftheworldmakingasignificantcontributionof

thedietaryrequirementsoftheirpopulations.

XI.Conclusion

Driedfruitsshouldbeincludedsidebysidewithfreshfruitrecommendations

aroundtheworldbecausetheyhelpmeetdietaryguidelinesfordailyfruitservingsand

addressbarrierstofruitintake.Thegreatestbenefitofincludingdriedfruitsregularlyinthe

dietisthatitisameanstoincreaseoverallconsumptionoffruitandthecriticalnutrients

theycontain.Driedfruitshavetheadvantageofbeingeasytostoreanddistribute,available

yearround,theyarereadilyincorporatedintootherfoodsandrecipes,relativelylowcost

andpresentahealthyalternativetosugarysnacks.Thescientificbasisforrecommending

higherfruitintakeistheepidemiologicalevidencethatindividualswhoregularlyeat

generousamountsofthesefoodshavelowerratesofcardiovasculardisease,obesity,

severalcancers,diabetesandotherchronicdisease.Yettodaythemajorityofpopulations

eatdietsthatarelowinfruitandvegetablesandconsequentlylowinthenutrientsthey

provide.Traditionaldriedfruits,withtheiruniquecombinationofessentialnutrients,fiber

andbioactivecompoundsareaconvenientsteptowardhealthiereatingandameansto

bridgethegapbetweenrecommendedintakeoffruitsandactualconsumption.

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