Study suggests eating dried fruit can reduce risk of abdominal obesity

NEW ORLEANS Eating raisins and other dried fruits can decrease the likelihood of abdominal obesity, a study presented Wednesday at the Experimental Biology conference in New Orleans suggests.

Funded by the California Raisin Marketing Board, the study used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2004, classifying as dried fruit eaters those who ate one-eighth cup or more of dried fruit. The study found lower rates of abdominal obesity among that group.

“The results of this analysis showed a lower prevalence of obesity, specifically abdominal obesity, among adults who consumed dried fruit as compared to those who did not eat dried fruit,” Food and Nutrition Database Research Inc. president Debra Keast said.

Additional data presented at the conference showed that raisins have large amounts of fructans, dietary fiber that functions as a prebiotic and may benefit the colon’s health. Fructans are produced during the drying process and are not present in fresh raisin grapes.