Ground Control To Major Tim, Eat Some California Prunes!

LONDON, February 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Media interest in the current Expedition 46 (being undertaken at the International Space Station), with Britain's Major Tim Peake on board is likely to fuel interest into the long term health consequences of extended periods in space and the potential dangers posed by exposure to space radiation - which includes risks to bone health.  So great news then that research just released today in Nature (http://nature.com/articles/doi:10.1038/srep21343) has indicated once again that eating prunes may be beneficial in helping to preserve bone strength!

This exciting new animal research, is timely as a year-long space mission to help scientists better understand the effects of space on the human body is about to conclude in March. Results suggest that California Prunes may help minimise bone loss in those exposed to radiation, including astronauts in space. Additionally, radiation workers and those who receive radiation therapy as part of a treatment for cancer^[1] are also subject to possible bone loss from exposure to radiation. While California Prunes have been linked to bone health in previous studies, this emerging research explores the bone-preserving role of prunes specific to radiation exposure.

Researchers from the Universities of California, Irvine and Texas looked at the effect of various antioxidant or anti-inflammatory interventions - (including California Prune powder and a control) - on mice that received radiation. Researchers observed that the California Prune powder was the most effective in reducing undesired bone marrow cells' responses to radiation compared to the other interventions. Additionally, the researchers observed that mice on the prune diet did not exhibit decrements (bone volume loss) after exposure to radiation in any of the structural parameters measured. The results of this study suggest that California Prunes may serve as an effective intervention for bone loss due to unavoidable exposure to space radiation or radiation therapy.

"Preserving bone strength during space travel is a serious issue faced by astronauts," notes Researcher Bernard Halloran, PhD, professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco and Veterans Affairs. "Radiation-induced bone loss resembles the age-related structural changes of osteoporosis. But health concerns remain with current remedies, such as secondary effects from drug treatments. This preliminary research provides promising hope that something as easy as eating prunes may be able to counter the negative aspects of space travel on bone health."