Cherries That Are Tart Provide Pain Relief
CHERRIES: Powerful Pain Relief
How sweet it is - when in the cold of winter we can have plump, beautiful cherries. We paid only $5.99/lb. and the next week they were already down to $4.99/lb for the new year (2008). Growing concerns about the gastrointestinal and cardiovascular risks of common pain-relieving drugs are leading many healthy-conscious adults to avidly seek safe, effective ways of beating inflammation and pain. Exciting evidence suggests that delicious tart cherries offer powerful pain relief and may also safeguard against cancer and neurodegenerative conditions.
"Tart cherries may well be the ultimate super food. Their novel anthocyanins offer powerful relief against inflammation and pain, while their antioxidant content holds a lot of promise in protecting against cancer," say the scientists at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. The researchers believe that this remarkable effect may be derived from the anthocyanins’ ability to counter oxidative stress following an inflammatory result. Furthermore, cherries may offer protection against gout, a painful inflammatory condition characterized by the accumulation of sharp urate crystals in the joints. The risk of developing gout increases with high levels of urate in the blood, which can be averted with the help of cherries. Women who consumed just two servings of Bing cherries experienced a significant reduction in their serum urate levels together with a modest decline in two other markers of inflammation.
Research has shown that a diet containing cherries is beneficial in reducing the risk of colon cancer. When scientists fed a diet containing tart cherries (also available in cans or bottles), anthocyanins, or cyanidin ( a non-sugar) breakdown product of anthocyanins) toll mice with a genetic susceptibility to colon cancer, the animals developed significantly fewer and smaller colon tumors. This study also revealed that these compounds effectively reduced the growth of two human colon cancer cells lines.
The cancer-protective benefits of this fruit were validated in another experimental study, in which cherry fruit extract reduced the growth of both human cancer cells and human breast cancer cells in a dose-dependent fashion.
Researchers have suggested that a possible mechanism by which cherries may confer benefits is through shutting down the growth of cancer cells by depriving them of the proteins they need to grow.
Tart cherries are one of the few food sources of melatonin, a chemical released in the body by the pineal gland that is intimately connected with circadian rhythms or the regulation of the sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin, also acts as a powerful antioxidant, providing neuro-protective and immune-modulating effects. As tart cherries provide a substantial amount of melatonin, they may constitute an important dietary source of this essential substance.
Cherries are also rich in phenolic compounds, especially anthocyanins, which have strong neuroprotective activity. In the laboratory, cherry phenolics protected neuronal cells from cell-damaging oxidative stress in a dose-dependent manner. Cherry compounds may thus find important applications in protecting aging adults against neurodegenerative conditions such as memory loss, senile dementia, an perhaps even Alzheimer’s disease.
Tart cherries may well be the ultimate super food. But remember we are talking about tart cherries here, which usually come frozen, canned, bottled, dried or juiced. Fresh tart cherries are seldom available at the grocery store, but may occasionally be found at a farmer’s market. Sweet cherries, which are nutritious, but don’t contain nearly enough anthocyanins and phenols as found in the tart cherries.
Tart cherries can be enjoyed whole, used in a variety of recipes, or juiced. A tempting dessert can be made by taking the frozen variety directly from the freezer and stirring in into a (low-sugar) yogurt to create a healthy frost treat that defeats a craving for ice cream. Tart cherries are also a delicious addition to main course salads, jams an d jellies, and beverages.
If available, fresh tart cherries should be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator and consumed within three days. Unopened canned cherries, on the other hand will keep in a cool, dark cupboard for up to one year.
Flavorful and nutritious, tart cherries thus offer important benefits for individuals seeking to live long, health lives.
Conclusion: Cherries can help adults maintain an active lifestyle by countering painful inflammation. By averting cancer and protecting the nervous system, a diet containing tart cherries may help ensure a future free from debilitating illnesses.
The above information was gathered from an article in LifeExtension - December 2007 issue. Website: www.lef.org
Nutritional content of tart Cherries:
Tart cherries are an excellent source of beta-carotene, containing 25 times the beta-carotene of blueberries. They are also rich in vitamin C and provide potassium, magnesium, iron, folate, and fiber.
One cup (155 g) of tart cherries without pits provides: 77 Calories, 4 calories from fat, 19 g. total carbohydrate, 2 g of dietary fiber, 13 g of sugar and 2 g of protein.
Beta-carotene 1193 mcg, 15.5 mg of Vitamin C, 132 mcg of Lutein and zeaxanthin, 12.4l mcg of folate, 24.8 mg of Calcium, 13.9 mg of Magnesium, 268 mg of Potassium and 0.l5 mg of Iron.
Now if we only had as much information about the pills we take? I’ve had doctors tell me not to read the FYI because it will only cause your brain to think you have these side effects. Not acceptable behavior in the new age of internet sources.
We don’t receive any royalties nor payment for promoting these food sources and we pay a high price for the information and research we receive from many credible sources.
If you are interested in supporting such an effort, consider buying "Make Eating A Lifestyle Change" by Stan Kent. All money received is used to obtain the best possible information to help you live a pain-free life with a better chance to fight of the free-radicals and invasive diseases that usually result in expensive and painful surgery. My medical doctors agree with what I am doing and are very supportive to the effort as an additional source for dealing with the complaints of their patience.
How sweet it is - when in the cold of winter we can have plump, beautiful cherries. We paid only $5.99/lb. and the next week they were already down to $4.99/lb for the new year (2008). Growing concerns about the gastrointestinal and cardiovascular risks of common pain-relieving drugs are leading many healthy-conscious adults to avidly seek safe, effective ways of beating inflammation and pain. Exciting evidence suggests that delicious tart cherries offer powerful pain relief and may also safeguard against cancer and neurodegenerative conditions.
"Tart cherries may well be the ultimate super food. Their novel anthocyanins offer powerful relief against inflammation and pain, while their antioxidant content holds a lot of promise in protecting against cancer," say the scientists at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. The researchers believe that this remarkable effect may be derived from the anthocyanins’ ability to counter oxidative stress following an inflammatory result. Furthermore, cherries may offer protection against gout, a painful inflammatory condition characterized by the accumulation of sharp urate crystals in the joints. The risk of developing gout increases with high levels of urate in the blood, which can be averted with the help of cherries. Women who consumed just two servings of Bing cherries experienced a significant reduction in their serum urate levels together with a modest decline in two other markers of inflammation.
Research has shown that a diet containing cherries is beneficial in reducing the risk of colon cancer. When scientists fed a diet containing tart cherries (also available in cans or bottles), anthocyanins, or cyanidin ( a non-sugar) breakdown product of anthocyanins) toll mice with a genetic susceptibility to colon cancer, the animals developed significantly fewer and smaller colon tumors. This study also revealed that these compounds effectively reduced the growth of two human colon cancer cells lines.
The cancer-protective benefits of this fruit were validated in another experimental study, in which cherry fruit extract reduced the growth of both human cancer cells and human breast cancer cells in a dose-dependent fashion.
Researchers have suggested that a possible mechanism by which cherries may confer benefits is through shutting down the growth of cancer cells by depriving them of the proteins they need to grow.
Tart cherries are one of the few food sources of melatonin, a chemical released in the body by the pineal gland that is intimately connected with circadian rhythms or the regulation of the sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin, also acts as a powerful antioxidant, providing neuro-protective and immune-modulating effects. As tart cherries provide a substantial amount of melatonin, they may constitute an important dietary source of this essential substance.
Cherries are also rich in phenolic compounds, especially anthocyanins, which have strong neuroprotective activity. In the laboratory, cherry phenolics protected neuronal cells from cell-damaging oxidative stress in a dose-dependent manner. Cherry compounds may thus find important applications in protecting aging adults against neurodegenerative conditions such as memory loss, senile dementia, an perhaps even Alzheimer’s disease.
Tart cherries may well be the ultimate super food. But remember we are talking about tart cherries here, which usually come frozen, canned, bottled, dried or juiced. Fresh tart cherries are seldom available at the grocery store, but may occasionally be found at a farmer’s market. Sweet cherries, which are nutritious, but don’t contain nearly enough anthocyanins and phenols as found in the tart cherries.
Tart cherries can be enjoyed whole, used in a variety of recipes, or juiced. A tempting dessert can be made by taking the frozen variety directly from the freezer and stirring in into a (low-sugar) yogurt to create a healthy frost treat that defeats a craving for ice cream. Tart cherries are also a delicious addition to main course salads, jams an d jellies, and beverages.
If available, fresh tart cherries should be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator and consumed within three days. Unopened canned cherries, on the other hand will keep in a cool, dark cupboard for up to one year.
Flavorful and nutritious, tart cherries thus offer important benefits for individuals seeking to live long, health lives.
Conclusion: Cherries can help adults maintain an active lifestyle by countering painful inflammation. By averting cancer and protecting the nervous system, a diet containing tart cherries may help ensure a future free from debilitating illnesses.
The above information was gathered from an article in LifeExtension - December 2007 issue. Website: www.lef.org
Nutritional content of tart Cherries:
Tart cherries are an excellent source of beta-carotene, containing 25 times the beta-carotene of blueberries. They are also rich in vitamin C and provide potassium, magnesium, iron, folate, and fiber.
One cup (155 g) of tart cherries without pits provides: 77 Calories, 4 calories from fat, 19 g. total carbohydrate, 2 g of dietary fiber, 13 g of sugar and 2 g of protein.
Beta-carotene 1193 mcg, 15.5 mg of Vitamin C, 132 mcg of Lutein and zeaxanthin, 12.4l mcg of folate, 24.8 mg of Calcium, 13.9 mg of Magnesium, 268 mg of Potassium and 0.l5 mg of Iron.
Now if we only had as much information about the pills we take? I’ve had doctors tell me not to read the FYI because it will only cause your brain to think you have these side effects. Not acceptable behavior in the new age of internet sources.
We don’t receive any royalties nor payment for promoting these food sources and we pay a high price for the information and research we receive from many credible sources.
If you are interested in supporting such an effort, consider buying "Make Eating A Lifestyle Change" by Stan Kent. All money received is used to obtain the best possible information to help you live a pain-free life with a better chance to fight of the free-radicals and invasive diseases that usually result in expensive and painful surgery. My medical doctors agree with what I am doing and are very supportive to the effort as an additional source for dealing with the complaints of their patience.
posted by Stan Kent at
10:36 AM
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