Tart cherries: A functional food with many functions
LD | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 years, 1 month AGO
Tart cherries have gained momentum as a “superfood” in recent years, most recognized as aiding athletes in exercise recovery. Although we can’t pinpoint foods as “superfoods,” we can talk about properties of foods and their proposed benefits.
As a side note, the reason foods should not be called “superfoods” is because not one food can cure ailments. Foods work together in the body to enhance their benefits. This is why it is so important to include a variety of healthy foods to reduce risk for chronic disease. Instead, use the term “functional foods” to label such foods with healing properties. Functional foods are defined as foods that provide additional health benefits beyond basic nutrition.
Tart cherries are considered a functional food. Montmorency cherries are a type of sour cherry grown in Michigan and parts of Wisconsin, and also Canada and France. The properties of this type of cherry are rich in bioactive compounds, including high amounts of anthocyanins (giving its red color) and antioxidant properties, which have both shown to benefit health.
With the marathon and triathlon season upon us in the Northwest, athletes may benefit from Montmorency tart cherries. Due to the tart cherry biological profile, it has the capability to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress caused by exercise, and may help regulate sleep patterns for better quality sleep, also important in the athlete’s recovery process. Sports, Cardiovascular, and Wellness Nutrition (SCAN), a dietetic practice group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, published an article in its quarterly newsletter that addresses the benefits of Montmorency tart cherries and provided guidelines for usage by athletes. Drinking 10 oz. of tart cherry juice before training and drinking a total of 16-24 ounces daily may be beneficial in reaching desired effects, although evidence for dosing strategies in athletes require more research.
You don’t have to be an athlete to reap the benefits of tart cherry juice. The same properties that aid in exercise recovery can provide benefits in any consumer. Inflammation may play a role in pain and other chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and more. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in tart cherries may help fight off free radicals, in turn slowing cancerous tumor growth or may even help prevent some cancers. Tart cherries can help ward off pain associated with inflammation and some studies are even looking at the consumption of tart cherries as a way to reduce obesity and improve insulin resistance. In addition, melatonin found in tart cherries may strengthen anti-inflammatory properties and act as a natural sleep aid.
Although there is a growing body of evidence supporting the use of tart cherry juice to benefit health, ongoing research is needed. It may not hurt to try tart cherry juice, but as with anything, consult your health care provider with questions or concerns prior to beginning any new regimen.
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Kimberly Young, MS, RDN, LD, is the WIC Coordinator at Panhandle Health District and a graduate of the University of Idaho Dietetic program.
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