Why Should You Include Tart Cherry Juice in Your Diet?

There are many health benefits for those individuals that consume tart cherry juice regularly. This powerful juice derived from cherries hangs off of Prunus cerasus trees in southwest Europe and Asia. This delicious juice contains potassium, iron and many other essential nutrients. This nutrient packed drink needs to contain 100% cherry juice in order to provide any health benefits.. Make sure you look for juice that contains no added sweeteners. You can also receive its benefits via tart cherry extract if you don’t enjoy the taste or can’t find the juice. The list below discusses many of the health benefits that are associated with this sour drink.

Benefits for adding tart cherry juice to your diet

Reduces pain and inflammation

A 2012 study of sour cherry juice’s effects on osteoarthritis revealed that tart cherry juice was able to lower the levels of pain and inflammation that osteoarthritis patients suffered. The study had participants consume 2 glasses of the juice a day for 21 days. The results showed patients reporting less pain. In addition, blood tests revealed patients with less inflammation.

Tart cherry juice appears to function much like ibuprofen and reduce inflammation and pain. It appears to block certain prostaglandins much like ibuprofen does. So sour cherry juice might offer another alternative to treat those experiencing pain and headaches.

Strengthens your immunity

Because tart cherry juice consists of many minerals and vitamins it is seen to help boost the immune systems. Researchers think that the antioxidants in the drink help prevent infections.

Better Brain Health

Researchers from the University of Delaware compared sour cherry juice drinkers to those that don’t drink cherry juice. They found evidence to suggest that those who consumed the juice had improved cognitive abilities. These improvements included memory and better decision making skills. The researchers attributed these cognitive improvements to the cherries’ ability to decrease inflammation and improve blood flow.

Helps recover from exercise

For those who enjoy weight lifting or visiting the gym adding tart cherry juice to your diet may hold some benefits. Adding 300 ml of juice to your diet has been shown to reduce muscle pain and damage during workouts.

Another interesting study published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine, conducted on half-marathon runners, revealed that tart cherry juice played a role in helping runners, who consumed the drink for 10 days prior to the half-marathon, finish their run quicker than those given a placebo. The difference was about 15 minutes.

Improves metabolism

Studies done in animals have suggested that tart cherry juice may work to improve your metabolism and help you eliminate abdominal body fat, There is also evidence to suggest that the anthocyanins in cherries work against the development of obesity. it is hard to determine how much of an impact the sour cherry juice will have on obesity.

Allows you to sleep better

Do you have trouble getting to sleep at night or staying a sleep? People suffering from nighttime insomnia might capitalize on the benefits of consuming tart cherry juice.  The juice consists of melatonin, tryptophan and anthocyanins. Melatonin is a hormone that is important in the production of sleep. Tryptophan and anthocyanins both strengthens the effect of sleep and helps to produce more melatonin in the body. This helps improve overall sleep and increases sleep duration.  Instead of popping a sleeping pill or enduring a sleepless night why not try a glass of delicious tart cherry juice instead.

With all the possible health benefits tart cherry juice offers it seems prudent to add the drink to your diet.