By Janett Walter

Phytochemicals of Cherries and Their Health Benefits
Nutritional Facts of Cherries
Shopping Tips

In spring, nature begins painting a charming picture made of beautiful white and delicate pink flowers in cherry orchards—the time of cherry blossoming has come. Come summer, the blossoms begin to develop into beautiful and delicious fruits loved by children and grown-ups alike—it’s cherry season!

Cherries are one the oldest cultivated fruits known. Evidence for their cultivation reaches back to around 300 B.C. Today, cherries are popular summer fruits grown in Europe, Asia and North America. Their origin⁽¹⁾, however, is thought to be Central Asia. Furthermore, sour cherries seem to have developed by crossing sweet cherries with so-called ground cherries, which are a small shrub.

© Betty Shepherd

Interestingly, the spread of cherries from Asia to Europe is not attributed to humans. It has been suggested that birds carried cherry stones on their treks and dropped them along the way. Later, the Greeks and Romans began cultivating cherries in Europe. As with other fruits now common in the U.S., settlers introduced cherries to American soil in the early 17^th century.

Today, the U.S. is not only the world’s second largest cherry producer, but also the world’s largest exporter of fresh cherries.

Fun Fact: Traverse City, Michigan refers to itself as the “Cherry Capital of the World” and celebrates cherries annually in July with the “National Cherry Festival.”

Phytochemicals of Cherries and Their Health Benefits

The reported health benefits of cherries have a wide range. They reach from possibly easing the pain of arthritis and gout, antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects, to potentially reducing symptoms of metabolic syndrome. Also, they may be beneficial in fighting colon and breast cancer, improving cardiovascular health and slowing the aging process, and they may possess anti-neurodegenerative effects.

Similar to berries, cherries obtain the beautiful shades of red of their skin and flesh from phytochemicals known as anthocyanins. (For more information, see our article “Berries: Which are the Real Deal?“.) Chemically they belong to the group of flavonoids, which are a subclass of polyphenols. In general, anthocyanins are known to be powerful antioxidants and possess possible anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective and anticarcinogenic traits. It has been reported that tart cherries have much higher concentrations of anthocyanins than sweet cherries.

One of the most widely published effects of cherries is their possible pain-relieving effect on arthritis and gout. What are possible reasons?

The anthocyanins of tart cherries, for example, have been found to inhibit⁽²⁾so-called cyclooxygenase-1 and -2 enzymes. In particular cyclooxygenase-2 plays a role in mediating inflammatory processes and pain development.

In addition, tests⁽³⁾ using sweet cherries (Bing cherry) have shown that they may exert anti-gout effects through lowering plasma urate levels. Gout occurs when crystals of excess uric acid (urate) accumulate in joints and/or soft tissues. Moreover, this and other studies reported that sweet cherries can lower certain inflammation markers in the blood.

Further research to extend the knowledge of the effects of cherries on arthritis and gout is ongoing. The U.S. National Institutes of Health list one in-progress clinical trial, whose main interest is the effect of a tart cherry juice blend on the pain of people with knee osteoarthritis. Of secondary interest will be the effects of the juice on serum uric acid levels.

A small (14-person) study carried out by researchers at the University of Vermont⁽⁴⁾ may be of interest for athletes. It looked at the effect on the symptoms of exercise-induced muscle damage of drinking either a tart cherry juice blend (Montmorency cherries, 12 fluid ounces, equivalent to 50-60 cherries) or a placebo. The juice or placebo was consumed for eight days twice a day for three days prior to the exercise as well as for the four following days. The exercise was two sets of 20 eccentric elbow flexion contractions. The results observed were a significantly smaller loss of strength as well as pain development in the cherry juice-drinking group.

Researchers at the University of Michigan⁽⁵⁾ looked at the benefits of tart cherries on symptoms of metabolic syndrome. According to the American Heart Association, a metabolic syndrome can include abdominal obesity, higher blood pressure, decreased HDL levels and high LDL levels. Other potential consequences are insulin resistance (the cells’ ability to respond to insulin and therefore to uptake glucose is decreased, so the body is forced to produce more insulin to remove glucose from the blood stream) or glucose intolerance (a pre-diabetic state in between normal glucose tolerance and diabetes).

The researchers added whole powdered tart cherries (Montmorency cherries) to the diet of rats prone to having high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and pre-diabetes. The cherries made up for either 1 percent or 10 percent of their diet. At both concentrations, the ones who received the tart cherry powder had lower total cholesterol, triglyceride and blood sugar levels as well as less oxidative stress, and their livers had stored less fat in comparison to the ones who did not received the cherries. Furthermore, the rats that received the cherry diet had a higher expression of a gene that promotes burning fat in the body.

To take a further look at the effects of tart cherries, they extended their studies⁽⁶⁾ to rats prone to obesity. The cherry-eating group (1 percent whole powered tart cherries) gained less weight, had less belly fat and, as shown in the previous study, lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels in comparison to the group that did not receive the cherries. The researchers also looked at the levels of two markers of inflammation in the blood that are related to cardiovascular diseases, and found them to be lower in the cherry-eating group as well.

The researchers suggest that the beneficial tart cherry effects on factors of metabolic syndrome may be derived from the anthocyanin content of the cherries. They are planning a clinical trial to further research the effects.

Another interesting aspect of cherries is their melatonin content. A study⁽⁷⁾published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in 2001 it found that the tart Montmorency cherry can contain about 13.5ng of melatonin per gram of fruit. Melatonin (a hormone produced by the body’s pineal gland during darkness) not only plays a role in the regulation of sleep, but it also said to be a powerful antioxidant.

Nutritional Facts of Cherries

In addition to contributing health-benefiting phytochemicals to one’s diet, cherries are a great source of vitamin C and A as well as potassium. In the nutritional facts⁽⁸⁾table provided below, the values are given for 1 cup of cherries without pits.

Shopping Tips

Cherries grown in the U.S. are in season from June to August. They can be bought fresh, frozen or dried. The best places for buying the freshest cherries, in our opinion, are local farmers’ markets. If you have the option, choose cherries yourself instead of having them handed to you prepackaged. This way you can sort out older fruits with soft, dark spots. Quality characteristics to look for when choosing cherries are a shiny skin, firmness and a fresh, strongly attached green stem.

After purchase, the fresh cherries should be eaten or refrigerated immediately, as they spoil fast otherwise.

It’s best to avoid the well-known maraschino cherry, which is often found as ice cream topping or in cocktails. Making this cherry requires the use of sugar syrup and artificial colors as well as artificial flavors. Also, be aware that canned cherry products may contain added sugars, preservatives and artificial colors as well.

If you like to drink sweet or tart cherry juice, look for kinds that are 100 percent fruit juice or purchase a cherry juice concentrate. Stay away from products that state “made from cherry juice.” Also check the label to avoid added artificial flavors and colors, as well as sugar, high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners. We recommend diluting 100 percent cherry juice in a 1-to-1 ratio or cherry juice concentrate in a 1-to-5 ratio with still or sparkling water. This makes a very refreshing summer drink and great alternative to sodas. (For more information on which water to choose, check out our article “Water [Part 2]: Navigating Your Drinking Water.”)

A delicious treat is dried cherries dipped in dark chocolate, one of our favorites. For more information on the health benefits of dark chocolate see our article “Chocolate: Should I or Shouldn’t I?“.

Enjoy!

References:

(1) Rieger M: Cherries (Prunus avium, Prunus cerasus). In: Rieger M: Introduction to Fruit Crops. The Haworth Press, Binghamton 2006;143-145.

(2) Tall JM, Seeram NP, Zhao C, Nair MG, Meyer RA, Raja SN: Tart cherry anthocyanins suppress inflammation-induced pain behavior in rat.Behavioural Brain Research 2004;153:181-188.

(3) Jacob RA, Spinozzi GM, Simon VA, Kelley DS, Prior RL, Hess-Pierce B and Kader AA: Consumption of Cherries Lowers Plasma Urate in Healthy Women. The Journal of Nutrition 2003:133(6)1826-1829.

(4) Nachbur J, Office of Health Promotion Research, University of Vermont: Research Shows Cherry Juice May Prevent Muscle Damage Pain.www.uvm.edu/~ohpr/?Page=News&storyID=8340, June 2006.

(5) Garwin K, University of Michigan Health System, UMHS Newsroom: A cherry on top: Animal study suggests tart cherries can alter factors linked to heart disease and diabetes.
www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2007/cherries.htm, April 2007.

(6) Bolling SF, University of Michigan Health System, UMHS Newsroom: Tart cherries may reduce factors associated with heart disease and diabetes.www2.med.umich.edu/prmc/media/newsroom/details.cfm?ID=148, April 2008.

(7) Burkhardt S, Tan DX, Manchester LC, Hardeland R and Reiter RJ:Detection and Quantification of the Antioxidant Melatonin in Montmorency and Balaton Tart Cherries (Prunus cerasus) Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2001:49(10)4898-4902

(8) NutritionData - Nutrition Facts and Calorie Counter: Raw Sweet Cherries, Raw Sour Cherries. www.nutritiondata.com, July 2008.