Tart cherries and their compounds have been associated with a lowe red risk for a number of diseases and disorders.
ARTHRITIS AND GOUT
For decades, tart cherries have quietly grown a devoted fan base of ar thritis sufferers who routinely consumed the fruit (particularly as juice) to help soothe their symptoms.At the time, the only evidence was anecdotal.Today, however, there appears to be science behind the cherry folklore.
The suspicion that cherries might help with arthritis and gout was first proposed in 1950 (Blau 1950).This preliminary study found that daily cherry consumption helped to relieve "gout attacks" and the pain associated with ar thritis. After eating the cherries, the patients in the study had lower blood levels of uric acid. Elevated levels of uric acid are associated with the onset and progression of gout. Since then, several studies have confirmed this link, including a study from USDA's Human Nutrition Research Center at the University of California, Davis where researchers found that healthy women (ages 20 to 40 years) who consumed two servings or 280 grams of cherries after an overnight fast showed a 15 percent reduction inuric acid levels, as well as lowered nitric oxide and C-reactive protein levels (Jacob 2003). The researchers conclude that "...compounds in cherries may inhibit inflammatory pathways" associated with
gout . Additional studies suggest that consumption of cherries may be beneficial for the management and prevention of inflammatory diseases (Kelley 2006, van Acker 1995), including inflammatory pain (Tall 2004). Nitric oxide also has been implicated in both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, while studies show that antioxidants scavenge this oxidant and potentially aid in the treatment or prevention of symptoms (Beze rra 2004, Remans 2005).
HEART HEALTH
Strong evidence indicates that diets rich in colorful fruits and vegetables may help lower hear t-disease risk. Beyond the anti-inflammatory benefits, many of the phenolic compounds in cherries may offer protection against heart disease and stroke. The Zutphen Elderly Study is a longitudinal study on lifestyle and chronic diseases started in 1985 at the National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection in The Netherlands. It has produced a wealth of valuable information about diet and health. One published report from this study of 805 men (ages 65 to 84 years) who were followed for five years found that as flavonoid intake increased, the risk for coronary ar tery disease decreased.The relative risk for dying from hear t disease was 58 percent lower in those men who consumed the most flavonoids compared to those men who consumed the least (Her tog 1993).
Oxidative damage is a major contributor to nitric oxide-mediated functions of the vascular system and in the initiation and progression of cardiovascular disease. In a study on pigs, researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine in For t Wayne found that anthocyanins, when consumed in large amounts, enhanced vaso-relaxation. Even small amounts protected arteries from oxidative damage (Bell 2006).
Another study published in the Journal of Nutrition supports this effect and found that anthocyanins had a vasorelaxant effect on rat ar teries that might help reduce cardiovascular mortality (Andriambeloson 1998). Numerous other studies show that other phenolic compounds found in tart cherries, such as quercetin, protect low density lipoproteins (LDL – the " b a d " cholesterol) from ox i d a t i ve damage, thus reducing their atherogenicity (Safari 2003).
Anthocyanins in tart cherries also might lower blood lipids, thus reducing hear t disease risk. In a study from the University of Michigan, varying amounts of whole tar t cherry powder were fed to rats for 90 days. Results s h owe d that the cherry - e n riched diets signifi c a n t ly lowered plasma tri g ly c e ride and total cholesterol, fasting glucose and insulin, and a plasma marker of oxidative damage, while slightly raising high-density lipoproteins (HDL - the "good" cholesterol) and significantly elevating blood antioxidant capacity. The cherry-enriched diets also reduced "fatty liver" or the accumulation of triglcyeride and cholesterol in the liver. (Seymour 2007). C-Reactive Protein Tart cherries also may lower inflammatory processes associated with heart disease. C-reactive protein (CRP) is a substance found in blood that is a marker for inflammation in the body. High levels of this protein are associated with an increased risk of heart disease and low levels with a low risk.The link between elevated CRP levels and heart disease has been demonstrated repeatedly, and there is evidence that CRP may be a more important indicator of heart disease risk than high LDL ("bad") cholesterol. In an eight-year study involving 27,939 women at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, more than half of the women who eventually developed hear t disease had high CRP levels even though their LDL levels were not considered high (Ridker 2000, 2002).
A study from the U. S . D e p a rtment of Agricult u r e 's Human Nutrition Research Center at the Unive rsity of California, Davis found that men and women who supplemented their diets with 280 grams of cherries for 28 days had a 25 percent reduction in CRP leve l s , suggesting reduced inflammation associated with atherosclerosis risk (Kelley 2006).
CANCER PREVENTION
Researchers believe tart cherries may have the potential to reduce the risk of colon cancer because of anthocyanins and cyanidin, another type of flavonoid found in cherries.
Researchers at Michigan State University tested the potential anti-cancer effects of tart cherries in mice and human colon cancer cell lines (Kang 2003). In the study on mice, a diet containing cherries , anthocyanins, or cyanidin produced significantly fewer tumors compared to mice fed control diets. In the second study on human colon cancer cells, anthocyanins and cyanidin reduced cell growth.The researchers concluded that "...tart cherry anthocyanins and cyanidin may reduce the risk of colon cancer."
A review of the research published in the Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology concluded that anthocyanins in tart cherries may help inhibit tumor development and growth of human colon cancer cells (Blando 2004).
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