Tart cherries are loaded with important nutrients. You would have to eat an entire sack of them to obtain all of the nutrition you can get by sipping the juice. Many antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents are in tart cherries. Tart cherry juice is beneficial for cancer prevention, heart health, as an anti-inflammatory agent and offers protection against a host of other conditions.
Anthocyanins: Important Phytonutrient
Tart cherries are red fruits. Red fruits and vegetables are rich in anthocyanins, a class of antioxident phytochemical (disease-fighting agent found in plant foods). Other fruits and vegetables in this class include raspberries, strawberries, beets, cranberries, apples, red onion, kidney beans and red beans. Phytochemicals give brightly colored fruits and vegetables their colorful hues. Anthocyanins, in particular, encourage healthy circulation, ensure proper nerve function and offer anti-cancer properties.
Anti-Oxidant Benefits
A research study published in August of 2009 by the Journal of Nutrition conducted by T Traustadóttir, SS Davies, AA Stock, et al., investigated whether the consumption of foods high in anthocyanins is associated with improved health, in particular if the consumption of tart cherry juice (high in anthocyanins) improves the ability of older adults to resist oxidative damage. Oxidative damage may lead to an increased rate of death and disease in the elderly in response to infections, and diseases such as atherosclerosis, cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease. The study found that consumption of tart cherry juice provided older adults greater protection against the development of heart disease, cancer and age-related cognitive decline.
Extra Cancer Protection
Carcinogens, harmful substances in air, water and foods, may damage the body's cells, triggering changes that may lead to cancer. Tart cherry juice offers more than anthocyanins. It is loaded with three disease-fighting chemicals that may be beneficial for halting cell transformation (that often leads to cancer). These powerful chemicals include perillyl alcohol, limonene and ellagic acid. Citrus peel offers limonene and berries offer ellagic acid but only cherries offer all three chemicals. They are particularly protective against cancers of the breast, lung, liver and skin.
Lower Cholesterol
Tart cherry juice contains one of the most powerful antioxidants that exists, quercetin. Among other functions, quercetin prevents oxidative damage caused by free radicals from damaging low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad" cholesterol). When LDL cholesterol is oxidized, it is more likely to adhere to artery walls, forming plaque which contributes to heart attack and stroke. Quercetin is also an anti-inflammatory agent, which is beneficial for alleviating asthma symptoms and other respiratory conditions.
Protection Against Muscle Damage
In a study published in December 2006 by the British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers DA Connolly, MP McHugh, OL Padilla-Zakour, et al., tested the efficacy of a tart cherry juice blend in preventing the symptoms of exercise-induced muscle damage in 14 male college students. The dosage was 12 fl oz. of a cherry juice blend or a placebo taken twice daily for eight days with a series of elbow flexion contractions performed on the fourth day of supplementation. Pain and strength loss were significantly lower in the cherry juice trial versus placebo. Similarly, tart cherry juice may offer relief from gout (a painful form of arthritis). It may alleviate the pain because of its powerful anti-inflammatory properties.
References
- Journal of Nutrition; Tart Cherry Juice Decreases Oxidative Stress in Healthy Older Men and Women; T Traustadóttir, SS Davies, AA Stock, et al.; Aug 2009
- Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry; Oxidation of Cholesterol and beta-Sitosterol and Prevention by Natural Antioxidants; G Xu, L Guan, J Sun and ZY Chen; Sep 2009
- British Journal of Sports Medicine; Efficacy of a tart cherry juice blend in preventing the symptoms of muscle damage; DA Connolly, MP McHugh, OL Padilla-Zakour, et al.; Dec 2006
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