Tart cherries may help reduce inflammation

Tart cherries may help millions reduce inflammation to manage pain, according to new research- LANSING, Mich., May 30, 2012 – Tart cherries may help reduce chronic inflammation, especially for the millions of Americans suffering from debilitating joint pain and arthritis, according to new research from Oregon Health & Science University presented today at the American College of Sports Medicine Conference (ACSM) in San Francisco, Calif.1 In fact, the researchers suggest tart cherries have the "highest anti-inflammatory content of any food" and can help people with osteoarthritis manage their disease.

In a study of twenty women ages 40 to 70 with inflammatory osteoarthritis, the researchers found that drinking tart cherry juice twice daily for three weeks led to significant reductions in important inflammation markers – especially for women who had the highest inflammation levels at the start of the study. "With millions of Americans looking for ways to naturally manage pain, it's promising that tart cherries can help, without the possible side effects often associated with arthritis medications," said Kerry Kuehl, M.D, Dr.PH., M.S., Oregon Health & Science University, principal study investigator. "I'm intrigued by the potential for a real food to offer such a powerful anti-inflammatory benefit – especially for active adults."

Three Cheers for Cherries..

... as studies show this superfruit may be good medicine.

According to THE ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION generations of people have reported that cherries help keep painful osteo-arthritis (OA) and gout flares in check. Until recently this was considered old wives tales but recently scientists have started to put these stories to the test….and guess what they have started to show really promising results.

Researchers tested different amounts of several varieties of cherries in almost every form, from juice to pills. And though most studies are small and the findings preliminary, evidence of the benefits of cherries is growing and how they can help in managing Gout and Osteo-arthritis relief!

Gout Management

Boston University .Medical Centre researchers carried out a study on 633 participants. They found that eating at least 10 cherries a day protected people who were suffering with gout from recurrent attacks. The findings were published in a supplement to the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism. The study co-author- Hyon, K. Choi "Cherry intake was associated with a 50 percent lower risk of gout flares over a 48-hour period. We extrapolate that cherries will continue to work long-term."

He attributes the positive results to anthocyanins - plant pigments that are believed to have powerful anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Anthocyanins are found in. red and purple fruits, including raspberries and blueberries, but cherries, especially tart cherries, may contain higher levels.

Liquid cherry extract - found in health-food specialty stores- appears to provide the same benefits. In a .retrospective study of 24 patients presented at the 010annual meeting of the European League Against Rheumatism, researchers at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, N.J., saw a 50 percent reduction in flares when gout patients took one tablespoon of tart cherry extract -the equivalent of 45 to 60 cherries – twice a day for four months.

This is definitely a topic worth further investigation, "Dr.Choi says "If cherries prove effective in large trials, they could provide a safe, non-pharmacological option for preventing recurrent gout attacks."