Plums May Match Blueberries for Good Health Qualities

Here’s another fruit claiming to be among the most beneficial for your health – the plum. Texas A&M AgriLife Research conducted studies partially sponsored by the California Tree Fruit Agreement, which resulted in a press release extolling the health virtues of plums.

The thrust of the studies was to compare the antioxidant properties of plums (and other stone fruits such as peaches and nectarines) with those of blueberries. Further studies evaluated the phytonutrients of the two types of fruits using cell cultures from diseased tissue. The end result – one plum equaled a handful of blueberries. And plums are much cheaper . . .

The researchers say they will go on to do further studies on the benefits of plums in cardiovascular and cancer animal models. This would all carry more weight if there were more details of results and the studies weren't sponsored by the company representing the tree fruit growers.
 

In the meantime, don’t forget the advice: “at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day” is quite valid for good health - and you might as well make one of those five a serving of plums.