Constipation

"ml" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

My mother, who is constipated most of the time, has taken
some of the top detox items but to no avail.

It seems that the only thing that works the best is
"prune juice".

Prune juice is just another herbal laxative. It is not
the ideal way of dealing with simple constipation, and a
high fibre diet and bulk laxative should be given a good
try first.

Make sure she is assessed properly medically. Many different
conditions can be interpreted by patients as constipation,
and most will not be helped by laxatives.

Peter Moran.

Quoted message said:

Subject: Re: Constipation From: "Peter Moran"
[email hidden] Date: 4/12/2004 2:19 PM Pacific Daylight
Time Message-id: <407b07f3$0$613$61c65585@uq-127creek-reader-
01.brisbane.pipenetworks.com.au>

Quoted message said:

Prune juice is just another herbal laxative. It is not
the ideal way of dealing with simple constipation, and a
high fibre diet and bulk laxative should be given a good
try first.

Peter...

anything wrong with prune juice as a daily juice..or better
still,,,munching on dried prunes?? as well as water,,etc

I always thought prunes were considered OK...

curious

TIA hawki.....

I thought prunes acted by having a high fiber content. Is
there some other active ingredient in prunes?

j.
PS. Dried Prunes are one of my favorite snacks.

Hawki63 said:

Quoted message said:

Subject: Re: Constipation From: "Peter Moran"
[email hidden] Date: 4/12/2004 2:19 PM Pacific
Daylight Time Message-id: <407b07f3$0$613$61c65585@uq-127creek-reader-
01.brisbane.pipenetworks.com.au>

Quoted message said:

Prune juice is just another herbal laxative. It is not
the ideal way of dealing with simple constipation, and a
high fibre diet and bulk laxative should be given a good
try first.

Peter...

anything wrong with prune juice as a daily juice..or
better still,,,munching on dried prunes?? as well as
water,,etc

I always thought prunes were considered OK...

curious

TIA hawki.....

Say not the Struggle nought Availeth <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I thought prunes acted by having a high fiber content. Is
there some other active ingredient in prunes?

Sorbitol, which acts as an osmotic laxative.

Quoted message said:

Subject: Re: Constipation From: "Peter Moran"
[email hidden] Date: 4/12/2004 4:19 PM Central Standard
Time Message-id: <407b07f3$0$613$61c65585@uq-127creek-reader-
01.brisbane.pipenetworks.com.au>

"ml" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

My mother, who is constipated most of the time, has taken
some of the top detox items but to no avail.

It seems that the only thing that works the best is
"prune juice".

Prune juice is just another herbal laxative. It is not
the ideal way of dealing with simple constipation, and a
high fibre diet and bulk laxative should be given a good
try first.

High fibre diet, yes, bulk laxative first, nope.

Grandma aways knew best.

Jan

Quoted message said:

Make sure she is assessed properly medically. Many
different conditions can be interpreted by patients as
constipation, and most will not be helped by laxatives.

Peter Moran.

"Eric Bohlman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Say not the Struggle nought Availeth <[email hidden]>
wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I thought prunes acted by having a high fiber content.
Is there some other active ingredient in prunes?

Sorbitol, which acts as an osmotic laxative.

I wouldn't have thought there would be enough of this sugar
to do that, but this article supports your suggestion.
Remarkable sorbitol content, even in the juice (6.1G/100g).

1: Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2001 May;41(4):251-86.
Related Articles, Links

Chemical composition and potential health effects of prunes:
a functional food?

Stacewicz-Sapuntzakis M, Bowen PE, Hussain EA, Damayanti-
Wood BI, Farnsworth NR.

Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, University of
Illinois at Chicago, USA.

Prunes are dried plums, fruits of Prunus domestica L.,
cultivated and propagated since ancient times. Most dried
prunes are produced from cultivar d'Agen, especially in
California and France, where the cultivar originated. After
harvest, prune-making plums are dehydrated in hot air at 85
to 90 degrees C for 18 h, then further processed into prune
juice, puree, or other prune products. This extensive
literature review summarizes the current knowledge of
chemical composition of prunes and their biological effects
on human health. Because of their sweet flavor and well-
known mild laxative effect, prunes are considered to be an
epitome of functional foods, but the understanding of their
mode of action is still unclear. Dried prunes contain
approximately 6.1 g of dietary fiber per 100 g, while prune
juice is devoid of fiber due to filtration before bottling.
The laxative action of both prune and prune juice could be
explained by their high sorbitol content
(2.7 and 6.1 g/100 g, respectively). Prunes are good source
of energy in the form of simple sugars, but do not
mediate a rapid rise in blood sugar concentration,
possibly because of high fiber, fructose, and sorbitol
content. Prunes contain large amounts of phenolic
compounds (184 mg/100 g), mainly as neochlorogenic and
chlorogenic acids, which may aid in the laxative action
and delay glucose absorption. Phenolic compounds in
prunes had been found to inhibit human LDL oxidation in
vitro, and thus might serve as preventive agents against
chronic diseases, such as heart disease and cancer.
Additionally, high potassium content of prunes (745
mg/100 g) might be beneficial for cardiovascular health.
Dried prunes are an important source of boron, which is
postulated to play a role in prevention of osteoporosis.
A serving of prunes (100 g) fulfills the daily
requirement for boron (2 to 3 mg). More research is
needed to assess the levels of carotenoids and other
phytochemicals present in prunes to ensure correct
labeling and accuracy of food composition tables in order
to support dietary recommendations or health claims.

Peter Moran

"Jan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Subject: Re: Constipation From: "Peter Moran"
[email hidden] Date: 4/12/2004 4:19 PM Central
Standard Time Message-id:

<407b07f3$0$613$61c65585@uq-127creek-reader-
01.brisbane.pipenetworks.com.au

Quoted message said:

"ml" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

My mother, who is constipated most of the time, has
taken some of the

top

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

detox items but to no avail.

It seems that the only thing that works the best is
"prune juice".

Prune juice is just another herbal laxative. It is not
the ideal way of dealing with simple constipation, and a
high fibre diet and bulk

laxative

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

should be given a good try first.

High fibre diet, yes, bulk laxative first, nope.

I agree (ouch!!!) , and that was my intention.

Peter Moran

Quoted message said:

Grandma aways knew best.

Jan

Quoted message said:

Make sure she is assessed properly medically. Many
different conditions can be interpreted by patients as
constipation, and most will not be

helped

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

by laxatives.

Peter Moran.