Why Cherries Are Good for Us

Cherries are typically classified as either sweet or tart. The sweet varieties include Bing, Lambert, and Rainier cherries, which in the U.S. are grown mainly in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. In contrast, tart cherries include the Montmorency and Balaton varieties, which are grown primarily in Michigan.
Cherries, as well cherry juice, have long been used by traditional healers as a folk remedy for gout. Today, we know that both sweet and tart cherries contain phenolics, naturally occurring compounds in plants that possess anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Studies have suggested cherries may help to lower serum uric acid levels in the body--high levels of which cause gout.

A Long-Time Remedy for Pain

The main phenolics found in cherries are called anthocyanins, which are the pigments responsible for the colorful skins of some fruits and leaves. In general, the darker a cherry's color, the higher its anthocyanin content. Interestingly, it's now been shown that anthocyanins block two enzymes, COX-1 and COX-2, which are involved in the formation of a class of undesirable inflammatory compounds called prostaglandins. In this way, anthocyanins function similarly to drugs like aspirin and the non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that we use to control pain.
This is why for centuries healers have advocated eating tart cherries for conditions involving inflammation and pain, including:

• arthritis
• gout
• muscle pain
• back pain

This is also why today tart cherries are thought to be useful in diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases.

Tart Cherries as a Sleeping Aid?

Compared to most other foods, two tart varieties of cherries, Balaton and Montmorency, contain relatively high levels of the antioxidant melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate our sleep, with the Montmorency cherries containing about six times more melatonin than the Balatons.
A recent study from the UK, published online ahead of print in the European Journal of Nutrition, looked at melatonin levels in the urine of 20 volunteers who consumed (or not) cherry juice. The participants were divided into two groups, one group drinking 30 cubic centimeters (1 ounce or 2 tablespoons) of tart cherry juice, and the other group a placebo, each day for seven days. After the week was over, the researchers found that the people in the tart-cherry group had significantly higher levels of melatonin in their urine, and had slept an average of 25 minutes longer per night than the placebo group. The tart-cherry group also slept five percent to six percent more "efficiently." (Sleep efficiency is a global measure of one's quality of sleep.)

Are tart cherries better for you than sweet cherries?

Studies involving tart cherries have involved only very small groups of participants, so we'll have to wait to see whether larger studies show that tart cherries are healthier than regular cherries, and in what quantities. Generally, tart cherries have been found to have higher concentrations of phenolics and anthocyanins than do sweet cherries. And tart cherries might be a bit more friendly to the waistline, since they're slightly lower in sugar. Half a cup of sweet cherries contains 9.3 grams of sugar and 46 calories, compared to 6.6 grams of sugar and 39 calories in an equal amount of tart cherries.

Where to Find Tart Cherries

Tart cherry juice, as well as fresh, frozen, canned (unsweetened), or dried tart cherries can be found in grocery stores, health-food stores, and online.

Possible Contraindications for Tart Cherries

Cherries contain sorbitol, a sugar alcohol found in some sugar-free gums, candies, and such. Please be aware that sorbitol can sometimes exacerbate symptoms in those people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), and fructose malabsorption.
As always, I urge you to check with your doctor before adding anything to your usual regimen, even non-prescription and dietary changes--such as tart cherries.