ATHENS, Greece—Snacking on prunes promotes a feeling of fullness, according to a study from the Agricultural University of Athens (Eat Behav. 2010 Aug;11(3):201-3).
The purpose of the study was to test the hypothesis that eating prunes as a snack before a meal, compared to a bread product equal in calories and weighed would have greater short-term effect on satiety measured by how much food was eaten at the following meal, induce greater satiety as assessed by visual analogue scales (VAS), and reduce appetite for dessert offered shortly after the meal.
Greek researchers included 45 healthy, normal-weight subjects in this randomized, within-subject crossover study. Statistical analysis of the results showed when subjects consumed prunes before lunch, they consumed less dessert and ate fewer calories during the meal. Additionally, subjects' feeling of hunger, desire and motivation to eat, as assessed with the use of VAS, were lower at all time points between snack and meal.
Because the macronutrients content of the prunes and the bread were similar, researchers hypothesized the satiating power of prunes could be due to their relatively high fiber content. They concluded, “Identifying meal patterns and foods that promote satiety without increasing considerably the overall energy intake is very important. The addition of dried prunes to a snack seems to promote satiety besides providing valuable nutrients.”
