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."

Battling the effects of Gout and Arthritis

Drinking tart cherry juice can help prevent gout attacks, relieve muscle soreness after exercise, and possibly help with arthritis pain because of its natural anti-inflammatory properties.

Gout expert Naomi Schlesinger, M.D., says the juice seems to reduce the joint inflammation that gout causes. Schlesinger led a study that found patients who took a tablespoon of tart cherry juice concentrate twice a day for four months cut the frequency of their gout attacks in half.

More than a third remained gout attack-free. Other studies have shown that drinking tart cherry juice daily helps runners reduce muscle soreness and reduces inflammation in overweight patients.

Unlike its sweeter cousins, the Bing and black cherry, the tart cherry is bright red and higher in antioxidants.

Relief for Painful Joints

Fresh cherries are a traditional remedy for alleviating the pain associated with gout and arthritis. Some research has shown that they help the body excrete excess uric acid, which causes gout, and also that certain phytochemicals present in cherries may combat the inflammation responsible for arthritic pain. 

Anti-inflammatory drugs currently constitute the mainstay medical treatment for arthritis management, and consumers are always looking for natural alternatives, enabling them to reduce the amount of medication they are taking, and cherry products may prove to be an ideal and highly palatable adjunct.

Driven by global population ageing, bone and joint health is destined to become an important positioning platform. For the 32 markets covered by Euromonitor International's in-depth health and wellness research, sales of foods and beverages with a prime positioning focus on bone and joint health amounted to US$13.8 billion in 2010.

Gout and Arthritus

For decades arthritis and gout sufferers have regularly consumed tart cherry juice for relief of symptoms. As early as the 1950’s, the science began to support this long-held tradition, linking cherry consumption to less pain associated with gout attacks. 46

More recent studies have supported this finding. One study found that when healthy women ate two servings (280 grams) of cherries after an overnight fast, they showed a 15 percent reduction in uric acid levels, as well as lowered nitric oxide and C-reactive protein levels – all of which is associated with inflammatory diseases like gout.47

Another study supported a lower uric acid level after cherry consumption, finding that after drinking eight ounces of tart cherry juice daily for four weeks, many adults had lower levels of uric acid. 44

The inflammatory benefits have potential to extend to arthritis sufferers too. In a 12-week pilot study conducted by researchers at Baylor Research Institute, a daily dose of tart cherries (as cherry extract) helped reduce osteoarthritis pain by more than 20 percent for the majority of men and women. 48

44. Martin KR, Bopp J, Burrell L, Hook G. The effect of 100% tart cherry juice on serum uric acid levels, biomarkers of inflammation and cardiovascular disease risk factors. FASEB J 2011;25:339.2.
46. Blau LW. Cherry diet control for gout and arthritis. Tex Rep Biol Med. 1950;8:309-311.
47. Jacob RA, Spinozzi GM, Simon VA, Kelly DS, Prior RL, Hess-Pierce B, Kader AA. Consumption of cherries lowers plasma urate in healthy women. J Nutr 2003;133:1826-182948. Cush JJ. Baylor Research Institute, pilot study on tart cherry and osteoarthritis of the knees, 2007.
48. Cush JJ. Baylor Research Institute, pilot study on tart cherry and osteoarthritis of the knees, 2007.

The Power of RED

The Health Benefits of Tart Cherries

Gout & Arthritus:

For decades arthritis and gout sufferers have regularly consumed tart cherry juice for relief of symptoms. As early as the 1950’s, the science began to support this long-held tradition, linking cherry consumption to less pain associated with gout attacks.

Cardiovascular & Heart Health:

Tart cherry consumption has been linked to a number of cardiovascular benefits — from overall anti-inflammation to reductions in cholesterol levels, to decreased risk for atherosclerosis and metabolic syndrome — all important heart disease risk factors.

The anthocyanins in tart cherries may also lower blood lipid levels. In an animal study, rats who were fed tart cherry-enriched diets for 90 days demonstrated significantly lower plasma triglyceride and total cholesterol, fasting glucose and insulin, and a plasma marker of oxidative damage.They also had slightly higher high-density lipoproteins (HDL – the "good" cholesterol) and significantly elevated blood antioxidant capacity.

Exercise Recovery & Pain Relief:

The same RED compounds linked to cherries’ arthritis and cardiovascular benefits have now shown promise for athletes and sports recovery to help relieve muscle and joint soreness. Tart cherries could help athletes reduce muscle damage to recover faster from a tough workout, according to a growing body of research

Emerging Benefits:

Researchers continue to uncover new and novel benefits of tart cherries. Some preliminary research has linked tart cherry juice to improvements in sleep and sleep patterns.

In one pilot study, a team of University of Pennsylvania, University of Rochester and VA Center of Canandaigua researchers found that drinking tart cherry juice daily helped reduce the severity of insomnia and time spent awake after going to sleep. The 15 older adults saved about 17 minutes of wake time after going to sleep, on average, when drinking cherry juice daily, compared to when they were drinking the juice drink.57 A second study found that healthy adults experienced improved sleep time and a 5-6 percent increase in overall sleep efficiency after drinking two servings of tart cherry juice for a week, compared to drinking a fruit cocktail. The volunteers also reported less daytime napping time while drinking the tart cherry juice.

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