Cherries in the News
Today Show
"How to keep an even keel as the seasons change"
Dr. Carol Ash was on the Today Show on November 5th, 2013 discussing the sleep benefits of Montmorency tart cherries.
“Something that I encourage all patients to do, go red before bed. Tart cherries are naturally high in melatonin. They will improve the quality and duration of your sleep. If you drink tart cherry juice, one glass for seven days you would see an increase of 40 minutes of sleep and your ability to stay asleep would increase by 6%.”
MSN Healthy News
"Eat, Drink, and Be Sleepy! 5 Natural Sleep Aids"
“In the small study, participants drank eight ounces of the tart cherry (also known as sour cherry) juice in the morning, and another eight ounces in the evening, for two weeks and reported better sleeping habits. Since all cherries are naturally high in melatonin, a compound that makes us sleepy, you can try eating a cup as a snack before it’s time for shut-eye if you’d rather not drink the juice.”
“Fall Asleep with Cherries- Cherries and cherry juice are concentrated sources of melatonin, a popular over-the-counter sleep aid.”
Post Workout Muscle Recovery with Tart Cherries
“Immediately after a game the focus is on a good meal, milk and protein supplement, while players are sent away with recovery pack including Cherry Active for its anti-oxidant properties and Leucine tablets to support muscle repair.”
“Cherry juice is an antioxidant, so it’s going to help with things like decreasing inflammation, minimizing muscle breakdown that is going to lead to feelings of soreness…” (Wall Street Journal, 1 March 2016, p. D2)
“The cherry juice appears to provide a viable means to aid recovery following strenuous exercise by increasing total antioxidative capacity, reducing inflammation, lipid peroxidation and so aiding in the recovery of muscle function.”
“Runners who drank the juice equivalent of 45 to 50 cherries before, during and after the race reported significantly less pain than those who drank a placebo. Medical examinations corroborated those reports.
Cherry juice is rich in antioxidants, which combat some of the muscle inflammation from the micro-tears that cause pain. And cherry juice isn’t a drug that could cause ulcers or kidney damage, Dr. Kuehl said.”
1. They’re packed with antioxidants.
Tart cherries, also called sour cherries, are rich in antioxidant compounds including anthocyanins and quercitin, which may play a role in reducing total body inflammation as well as fighting free radicals.
2. They soothe sore muscles!
Tart cherries have been getting a lot of attention lately based on new research suggesting that they may speed recovery and relieve muscle aches and pains after working out. In one study, one group of participants drank 12 ounces of tart cherry juice, two times per day, seven days before running a long race, while another group drank a placebo cherry-flavored drink. The group that drank the tart cherry juice reported significantly less pain following the race.
Clarke and Jarosh add that while tart cherry juice is the type that has been involved in the research so far, sweet cherries are also packed with other antioxidants and nutrition — they just haven’t been the subjects of as much research yet.
Many companies are selling tart cherry juice without added sugar, but it’s pretty tart, say Clarke and Jarosh. But it’s also sold as a juice concentrate, so you can choose to mix it into other foods (like a smoothie) to temper some of the tartness.
3. They’re rich in vitamins and fiber.
Since cherries (both tart and sweet) are a good source of vitamins A and C and fiber, they’re a nutritious fruit to include in your diet as another way to strengthen your body’s defenses and improve overall health.
