Cherries are a native crop throughout Asia and Eastern Europe. They belong to the same fruit family as other “drupe” fruits, such as plums, apricots, and peaches. Tart and sweet cherries are the two most popular varieties of cherries. Cherries are drupe fruits with a “stony-hard” seed at the centre surrounded by a soft, edible pulp.
Who doesn’t love cherries? For flavour, everyone likes it better. In addition to their well-known sweet taste, cherries are rich in vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients and low in calories. Both sweet and sour cherries are a fantastic source of various elements that are essential for general health and wellbeing. Tart cherries are also a favourite among sports fans and athletes.
In the seven days leading up to a race, runners who drank 24 ounces of sour cherry juice daily experienced much less muscular soreness and recovered faster, per research published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.
7 Health Benefits Of Cherry
1. Antioxidants Benefits
Cherries are a rich source of anthocyanins, a kind of flavonoid with strong antioxidant qualities. The pigments called anthocyanins, which give red, purple, and blue plants their vibrant colours, are found in a variety of foods. The antioxidant activity of cherries is comparable to that of other superfoods such as pomegranates, blueberries, and strawberries. Cherry juice helps older people’s antioxidant defences by reducing oxidative damage to DNA. Oxidative damage, another name for free radicals, can harm DNA and accelerate ageing. Antioxidant-rich foods reduce this oxidative damage.
2. Helps With Sleep
Both the quantity and quality of sleep improve after consuming sweet cherries. Concentrated cherry juice increases melatonin, improves the quantity and calibre of sleep, and could be useful for insomnia. It increases the amount of time spent sleeping, extends bedtimes, and enhances the quality of sleep.
3. Improves Cognitive Performance
Sweet cherries increase oxidative stress as a defence against cell damage. Cherries can improve cognitive function in people as well. Those who consumed sweet cherries claimed to feel less anxious and joyful. Eating foods rich in anthocyanins was shown to enhance cognitive function in subjects, according to research.
4. Blood Sugar Health
Consuming cherries helps control blood sugar levels rather than raising fasting insulin or blood sugar levels. In diabetic women, cherries reduced the frequency of blood sugar indicators. Cherry inhibits the enzymes that cause diabetes. By improving insulin production, improving liver glucose regulation, and reducing the synthesis of glucose from complex carbohydrates, anthocyanins reduce blood sugar.
5. Muscle Injury Recovery
Cherries lessen the damage that exercise causes to muscles (EIMD). EIMD’s elevated oxidation and inflammation might result in momentary soreness, pains, and muscle weakness. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of cherries’ anthocyanins contribute to a speedier recovery after physical activity. These benefits come from exercising for both strength and endurance.
6. Helps Reduce The Symptoms Of Arthritis
Anthocyanins and cherry extracts have anti-arthritic properties. It was shown that cherries prevented flare-ups of arthritis and improved joint mobility in the fingers and toes. The general agreement is that cherries lessen the frequency of arthritic episodes, despite the fact that a great deal of study has yielded mixed outcomes.
7. Can Used to Treat Gout
Sweet cherries may help with conditions like gout and arthritis by lowering inflammatory markers when taken consistently and as part of a diet. In one study, 45 cherries a day for a month caused a 25% drop in C-reactive protein in healthy men and women.
Cherry blossom season typically begins in June and extends into the summer and early September. In addition to being delicious, cherries provide several health benefits.
