Prunes, known as "Alu Bukhara" in India are made from dried plums and are a very healthy snack rich in fibres, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and the good thing about them is they are highly affordable.

Following are 5 scientifically proven heath benefits of eating prunes/dried plums regularly.

Helps prevent constipation and haemorrhoids (piles) and Colon Cancer

Prunes are rich in fibers and 10 prunes have 6g of fibre which is about 20% of daily fiber requirement for an adult. High fibre content helps to prevent constipation and haemorrhoids and keeps your digestive system healthy and can help to retain healthy colon bacteria and protect you from Colon cancer

Helps to treat osteoporosis

A clinical trial done in 2016 found out that eating 6 dried plums a day can significantly reduce bone loss in women with osteoporosis. If you or your loved ones are suffering from osteoporosis, you will be benefitted by adding dried plums to your diet.

Reduce cholesterol levels in the body

High cholesterol levels leads to heart attacks, strokes and prunes helps to reduce cholesterol levels in blood and liver our body and reduce the buildup of fatty plaques in blood vessels in this study and this study

Lowers blood pressure

To lower your blood pressure you need to soak 3-6 prunes in a glass of water and keep overnight and drink in the morning. This study done in 2010 found that there was significant reduction of blood pressure with prunes.

Reduce appetite and helps in weight loss

Prunes have a low glycemic index meaning they will not increase blood sugar levels suddenly and their high fibre content makes them digest slowly and you will feel less hungry for a long period of time in this study done in 2010

Adding prunes to your diet will make it more palatable and will give you numerous health benefits at the same time.