Tart cherries are not your average fruit. They’re tart, with a flavor that’s distinct from sweet ones like the juicy kind you find at farmer markets. The juice from tart cherries has been gaining popularity in the health-conscious recently.
Science has found that tart cherry juice is a powerful natural remedy for many different conditions. Here are the benefits of tart cherry juice and why you should start drinking it today.
1. Improves Sleep
Tart cherry juice might help you sleep better, according to research published in the Journal of American Therapeutics. The study found that patients who drank tart cherry juice experienced improvements in sleep efficiency and overall nighttime. On the other hand, The placebo group did not show any improvement. It’s been said that tart cherry juice helps with sleep-related woes, but it is unclear why. One theory suggests that the small amount of melatonin found in cherries may be responsible for this effect.
2. Relieves Arthritis-related Pain
Inflammation can cause pain, and when it goes untreated or is too intense to handle on your own inflammation could lead you in the direction of chronic conditions. As tart cherry juice is known to have anti-inflammatory properties, it’s no surprise that researchers are exploring its use in treating arthritis.
3. Boosts Brain Function
Finding yourself feeling a little foggy these days? You might want to make up for lost time with tart cherry juice. Studies show that this fruit contains anthocyanin, an antioxidant that can improve your cognitive function and boost memory. Cherry juice seems to have significant benefits for people with dementia. A study found that those who drank cherry juice showed improvement in their verbal fluency and memory for the short-term as well as the long term.
4. Boosts the Immune System
Do you know how we mentioned the anthocyanins in cherry juice have a positive effect on cognitive processes? Well, now it turns out that these healthy flavonoids also help with your immune system. Research shows that anthocyanins have strong antimicrobial properties which help the body fight off infections like listeria, E Coli, and staph, to mention a few.
5. Improves Cardiovascular Health
It is no secret that high blood pressure and bad cholesterol (low-density lipoproteins) are factors in developing cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular diseases make up the leading cause of death in America. The good news is that tart cherry juice contains compounds that reduce the two major culprits when it comes to most diseases – oxidative stress and inflammation. At least one study suggests drinking regularly can lower cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure.
6. Minimizes muscle soreness after a workout
Researchers have noted the anti-inflammatory properties of tart cherries, which are helpful for athletes. In a recent study published in the Journal of International Society of Sports Nutrition, researchers found that cherry juice is effective at reducing inflammation and promoting recovery for long-distance runners whose sport often results in acute muscle damage, acute inflammation, and decreased force production. It has been shown that tart cherry juice acts as an effective pain killer for those who participate in strenuous physical activity. The results of this study show promise to provide an alternative treatment than traditional medications like NSAIDs.
7. Help lose weight
While more research needs to be done, it is possible that tart cherries may help with weight loss. Specifically, their anti-inflammatory properties are promising because obesity and systemic inflammation are closely connected. A study in animals has shown that tart cherry juice can reduce abdominal fat by weight and body fat percent. As long as you stay away from the sweetened stuff, then drinking cherry juice will not hurt your waistline and it may even help make some progress.
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