Health Benefits Of Cherries
Cherries are one of the very low calorie fruits; yet are rich source of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Both sweet as well as tart Cherries are packed with numerous health benefiting compounds that are essential for wellbeing.
Cherries are pigment rich fruits. These pigments are in fact polyphenolic flavonoid compounds known as anthocyanin glycosides. Anthocyanins are red, purple or blue pigments found in many fruits and vegetables, especially concentrated in their skin, known to have powerful anti-oxidant properties.
Scientific studies have shown that anthocyanins in the cherries are found to act like anti-inflammatory agents by blocking the actions of cycloxygenase-1 and 2 enzymes. Thus consumption of cherries has potential health effects against chronic painful episodes such as gout arthritis, fibromyalgia (painful muscle condition) and sports injuries.
Research studies also suggest that tart cherries are help body to fight against cancers, aging and neurological diseases and pre-diabetes.
Cherry fruits are very rich in stable anti-oxidant melatonin. Melatonin can cross the blood-brain barrier easily and produces soothing effects on the brain neurons, calming down nervous system irritability which helps relieve neurosis, insomnia and headache conditions.
They are also good source of minerals such as potassium, iron, zinc, copper and manganese. Potassium is a heart-healthy mineral; an important component of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure.
The fruits, especially tart cherries are exceptionally rich in many health promoting flavonoid poly phenolic anti-oxidantssuch as lutein, zeaxanthinand beta carotene. These compounds act as protective scavengers against harmful free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging, cancers and various disease process.
Cherries’ anti-inflammatory functions, effective in reducing heart disease risk factors by scavenging action against free radicals.
Acerolaor West Indian cherry has exceptionally very high levels of vitamin-C (1677.6 mg per 100 g or 2796 % of RDA) and vitamin-A (767 IU per 100 g).
See the table below for in depth analysis:
Sweet and Tart Cherry fruits, fresh, raw,
Nutritive Value per 100 g,
| Principle | Nutrient Value | Percentage of RDA |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 63 cal 50 Kcal | 3% 2.5% |
| Carbohydrates | 16.1 g 12.18 g | 12% 9% |
| Protein | 1.06 g 1.00 g | 2% 2% |
| Total Fat | 0.2 g 0.3 g | 1% 1.5% |
| Cholesterol | 0 g 0 g | 0% 0% |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.1 g 1.6 g | 5.5% 4% |
| Vitamins | ||
| Folates | 4 mcg 8 mcg | 1% 2% |
| Niacin | 0.154 mg 0.400 mg | 1% 2.5% |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.199 mg 0.143 mg | 4% 3% |
| Pyridoxine | 0.049 mg 0.044 mg | 4% 3.5% |
| Riboflavin | 0.033 mg 0.040 mg | 2.5% 3% |
| Thiamin | 0.027 mg 0.030 mg | 2% 2.5% |
| Vitamin C | 7 mg 10 mg | 11% 17% |
| Vitamin A | 640IU 1283 IU | 21% 43% |
| Vitamin E | 0.07 mg 0.07 mg | 0.5% 0.5% |
| Vitamin K | 2.1 mcg 2.1 mcg | 2% 2% |
| Electrolytes | ||
| Sodium | 0 mg 3mg | 0% 0% |
| Potassium | 222 mg 179mg | 5% 4% |
| Minerals | ||
| Calcium | 13 mg 16 mg | 1.3% 1.6% |
| Copper | 0.060 mg 0.104 mg | 7% 11.5% |
| Iron | 0.36 mg 0.32 mg | 4.5% 4% |
| Magnesium | 11 mg 9mg | 3% 2% |
| Manganese | 0.070 mg 0.112mg | 3% 5% |
| Phosphorus | 21 mg 15 mg | 3% 2% |
| Zinc | 0.07 mg 0.10 mg | 0.5% 0.1% |
| Phyto-nutrients | ||
| Carotene, alpha | 0 mcg 0 mcg | -- |
| Carotene, beta | 38 mcg 770 mcg | -- |
| Crypto-xanthin, ß | 0 mcg 0 mcg | -- |
| Lutein-zeaxanthin | 85 mcg 85 mcg | -- |
More Cherries Health Benefits
Cherries health benefits? If you are like me you may have never gotten past just eating them for their great cherry taste. Who would have thought they could be so good for you, too. Yes, it is true cherry health benefits can not be denied.
Cherries. Sometimes I wonder if they aren't one of the prettiest fruits in the world. They look so beautiful and tempting laying there so tiny and so full of vibrant reds. Just gazing at them for a few seconds and your mouth is watering, and somehow you just know; you have to have one. So you pick one up and take a small bite out of its juicy flesh, and as soon as the juice hits your taste buds you wonder how it could be. They even taste better than they look. Wow! Now that is a fruit to behold. I guess it is a nice plus but I would like them even without all the cherries health benefits.
There are two types of cherries, the sweet cherry and the tart cherry. Besides eating them fresh, you can enjoy them canned cherries, dried cherries or cherry juice. They are truly outstanding when put into pies, both the hot oven baked, and the nice refreshing ones you put in your refrigerator for that perfect after dinner delight. Bing cherries are the most popular all around favorite, including my own. It has a purplish skin that is almost black when fully mature, and a dark reddish flesh that is oh so sweet.
Cherries are grown mainly in the cooler, northwestern states, seventy percent of them coming from Washington, Oregon, Utah and Idaho. However, Michigan can give them some competition when it comes to great tasting cherries as well as without doubt the best National Cherry Festival in the U.S. You need to check it out when July rolls around. Read a little more about it in our Cherry Festivals article.
Not only are these small fruit pleasant to the taste buds, but there is another great plus. Cherries health benefits have been known for a long time. More and more research is coming out stating that cherries, especially tart cherries, have a very high content of disease fighting antioxidants. They also contain a number of other very important nutrients, and have almost 20 times more beta carotene than blueberries. There have been other studies that have shown cherries help ease the pain of arthritis and gout, as well as reducing the risk of contracting a number of serious diseases including diabetes and cancer. Further studies have indicated that the abundance of anthocyanins in the flesh and skin of cherries help reduce oxidative stress, which is a major cause of autoimmune diseases.
Although all types of cherries have great health benefits, studies show that tart cherries seem to hold the greatest amount of nutrients. This is because they are usually darker in color and many of the cherries health benefits are found in the darker skinned varieties. Some research has even heralded the health benefits of cherries to include the ability to fight memory loss, lower cholesterol, help your sleep patterns and fight diabetes. It is hard to beat a list of cherries health benefits like that one.
It appears the scientific world is coming around to the world of cherries and cherries health attributes. The latest reports show that tart cherry juice concentrate has the highest antioxidant potency score of all other fruits or vegetables. Free radicals are toxins that are believed to cause or worsen many diseases by taking the electrons from our cells, and leaving them weak or damaged. The theory is, if you eat food sources rich in antioxidants, these antioxidants will provide the electrons these free radicals need, thus causing them to leave the healthy cells alone.
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