Dieters are usually told to avoid dried fruit because it contains a lot of sugar
But, those who eat prunes lose more weight than those who do not
This is because the fibre in the fruit makes dieters feel fuller for longer

A handful of prunes twice a day could keep hunger at bay.

Slimmers who snacked on them lost weight – despite dieters normally being told to eat sugar-laden dried fruit sparingly.
What is more, eating prunes may actually make dieting easier by suppressing appetite

 However, if you want to try it for yourself, you are advised to start with small amounts to minimise stomach problems the fruit is famous for.

Liverpool University researchers tracked the weight and appetite of 100 overweight and obese men and women who were given comprehensive dieting advice.

 Half were also given prunes to snack on.

The men were asked to eat 170g a day, around 15 prunes, and the women 140g, or a dozen or so, prunes.
Prunes are high in fibre which means they make people feel full for a long time

Prunes are high in fibre which means they make people feel full for a long time

The high sugar concentration in dried fruit means slimmers are usually told to limit themselves to just 30g a day.
Both groups of slimmers lost around 4lb of weight and an inch off their waistlines over three months.

However, weight loss seemed to speed up in the prune group towards the end of the study.
Plus, they felt fuller – likely because of the large amount of fibre in the fruit, the European Congress on Obesity in Sofia, heard.
Researcher Jo Harrold said that despite prunes’ reputation for causing digestive problems, they were well tolerated.

Colleague Jason Halford said that it seems the appetite-suppressing effects of prunes outweighs any damage done by their sugar content.

He thinks that other dried fruit, such as raisins, is likely to be similarly beneficial.
Professor Halford, who received funding from the California Prune Board, said: ‘One of the biggest problems with dieting is that it makes you hungry.

‘This doesn’t necessarily mean that prunes are the new weight loss miracle but they don’t undermine dieting.’
He added that eating more dried fruit could make it easier for people to meet the health target of five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
Dried fruit is also easy to carry around.

 Prunes are high in fibre which means they make people feel full for a long time

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