7 Powerful Health Benefits of Cherries

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Consumption of cherries lets you enjoy much more than just their wonderful taste. These fruit are also loaded with antioxidants and offer various health benefits, including help with joint pain, insomnia and belly fat.

Here are 7 amazing reasons to start eating this powerfood!

7 Powerful Health Benefits of Cherries
health benefits of cherries / pixabay

Health Benefits of Cherries:

1. Antioxidant Properties

Cherries have powerful antioxidants such as cyanidin and anthocyanins. A study showed the antioxidant activity of these substances, which were isolated from tart cherries, and were found superior to that of vitamin E, and comparable to commercially available antioxidant products.

Also, cherries have a small amount of quercetin, which is known to be one of the most potent, in terms of antioxidant activity. Cherries contains various range of other health-promoting properties.

2. Lowers Risk of Gout Attacks

Consuming cherries lowers your risk of gout attacks by 35%, according to a study with 633 gout patients, conducted by Yuqing Zhang, professor of medicine and public health at Boston University.

Gout patients who consumed cherries over a 2-day trial period reported to have 35% lower risk of gout attacks. This is compared to those who did not consumed cherries. Findings also showed that consuming cherries or cherry extract helps in lowering the risk of gout attack. The gout flare risk was shown to continued to decrease with increasing cherry consumption, and showed up to 3 servings in just over 2 days.

3. Promotes Better Sleep

Cherries has natural melatonin, which is a known free radical scavenger and powerful antioxidant that helps in cooling down associated oxidative stress and excess inflammation . Also, it plays an important role in sleep and bodily regeneration.

Based on daily environmental signals of darkness and light, your pineal gland has evolved to produce and secrete melatonin to help you get sleep. Research reported that comsumption of tart cherry juice, not only helps in increasing your melatonin levels, but it also in sleep efficiency, improving time in bed and total sleep time.

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According to researchers, consumption of a tart cherry juice concentrate provides increase in exogenous melatonin whic is beneficial in improving sleep quality and duration in healthy individuals, and might be beneficial in managing disturbed sleep.

4. Reduce Blood Pressure

Research conducted by the British Journal of Nutrition showed that cherry juice may help in reducing reduce blood pressure because of its high polyphenol content.

5. Reduce Risk of Stroke

Research conducted at the University of Michigan suggests that tart cherries provide cardiovascular benefits and can help in reducing the risk of stroke.

The study ahowed that tart cherries activate peroxisome proliferator activating receptors or PPAR isoforms, in many of the body’s tissues. PPARs are responsible for regulating genes that are involved in glucose and fat metabolism, and when modified these can help in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. There are prescribed medicines that do the same thing, but these come with serious side effects, including stroke and heart attack.

6. Reduces Muscle Pain

Just 1 cup and a half of tart cherries or 1 cup of tart cherry juice can reduce muscle soreness and inflammation, studies suggest. The study involves a group of marathon runners who drank tart cherry juice twice daily for 7 days before their race. The group who consumed the cherry juice group experienced less muscle pain after the race, as compared to those who drank another fruit drink.

7. Rich in Potassium

Just 1 cup of cherries can fill 9% of your recommended daily value of potassium. If you consume this delicious potassium-rich food, you give your body the required mineral for the function of several organs, which include kidneys, heart, muscular and brain tissues. Potassium helps in reducing the risk of stroke, reduces muscle cramping, alleviates hypertension and high blood pressure, and improves muscle strength.

Read More:
1. 16 Health Benefits of Pomegranates
2. 10 Amazing Health Benefits of Mulberries
3. How Healthy are Pineapples

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