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New Scientific Report Spotlights Tart Cherries as Today's Hottest
Super Fruit
LANSING, Mich., Feb. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Once known only for its
pie persona, tart cherries have emerged as one of today's hottest
Super Fruits, with leading health and trends experts buzzing about the
fruit's promising benefits. Today, with the help of leading health
expert Dr. Wendy Bazilian, DrPH, MA, RD, the cherry industry launched
The Red Report, a new look at the power of tart cherries, featuring
more than 50 peer-reviewed scientific studies on tart cherries.
One of tart cherries' key claims to fame is their powerhouse of
antioxidants. According to top trend forecasters, antioxidants remain
a top indicator of health-promoting foods, with nine (93 out of 10
adults aware of antioxidants, and one-third (31 are making a strong
effort to consume more.(1,2) Tart cherries have among the highest
levels of antioxidants of other super foods, ranking 14 in the top 50
for highest antioxidant content per serving size, according to a
recent study.(3-7) And, tart cherries have as many, if not more,
antioxidants than many other fruits.(5,8)
"The power of this Super Fruit is clear, and what's so remarkable is
how far tart cherries have come over the last few years," said Dr.
Bazilian, author of The SuperFoodsRx Diet: Lose Weight with the Power
of SuperNutrients. "For example, the fruit has long been believed to
have pain relief benefits, and today, there's a strong and significant
body of evidence backing that up. I love when modern science confirms
what people have anecdotally known and experienced for decades."
"Beyond their health benefits, tart cherries are shaping today's key
health and nutrition trends, called out in some of the latest reports
as 'the' Super Fruit to watch," added Dr. Bazilian. Currently, nine in
10 adults (91 think it's very important to get their nutrients from
foods that are naturally rich in vitamins and minerals, with vitamin A
a key nutrient in demand.(9) Tart cherries contain 19 times more
vitamin A than blueberries or strawberries.
The Science Behind the Power of Red
Anthocyanins are the key antioxidant compound in tart cherries,
responsible for the fruit's bright red color. In fact, tart cherries
contain significantly more anthocyanins than other fruits, including
sweet cherries.(10,11) A growing body of research has linked the
anthocyanins in tart cherries to reduced inflammation, at levels
comparable to some well-known pain medication.(10, 12) This
inflammatory benefit is likely behind cherries' ability to reduce risk
for arthritis and gout, promote cardiovascular health and most
recently, to aid muscle recovery and reduce oxidative stress in
athletes. The Red Report is the first compilation to include the
latest research supporting tart cherries' exercise recovery and pain
relief benefits. Key highlights include:
-- Recent research published in the American College of Sports
Medicine's journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise revealed
that tart cherries could help athletes reduce muscle damage to recover
faster from a tough workout.(13)
-- Other research supports the pain relief benefits of incorporating
tart cherries in a training routine. In one study, runners who drank
cherry juice twice a day for seven days prior to and on the day of a
long-distance relay had significantly less muscle pain following the
race.(14)
-- Increasingly, sports nutritionists and endurance athletes are
following The Red Recovery Routine at www.choosecherries.com, designed
to support athletic performance and recovery with a focus on tart
cherries ability to reduce exercise-induced inflammation.
While researchers continue to explore the benefits of tart cherries,
The Red Report also gives a nod to tart cherries' emerging benefits,
including preliminary research linking tart cherry juice to
improvements in sleep patterns.
Why Go Red Instead?
Available every day of the year in dried, frozen and juice forms, and
versatile enough to include in any dish, tart cherries can be a
powerful way to boost fruit intake and meet current dietary
recommendations of two daily fruit servings. In fact, experts suggest
that 1-2 servings of cherries daily can help provide some of the
health benefits identified in the research.
"Now more than ever there's good reason to choose cherries," said Dr.
Bazilian. "With just one in five adults eating enough fruit each day,
it's my goal as a doctor of public health and dietitian to encourage
people to add a variety of fruits to their diets and specifically
think about form and color to help guide their fruit intake."
In addition to being a versatile Super Fruit, "tart cherries have that
unique sweet-tart taste that people are seeking," added Dr. Bazilian.
According to the IFIC Foundation 2011 Food & Health Survey: Consumer
Attitudes Toward Food Safety, Nutrition & Health, taste remains the
top driver of America's food decisions making it essential to find
great-tasting fruit options.Tangy and sour flavors are quickly
becoming two of America's favorite flavors, ranking among the top
ten.(15)
To download The Red Report, to learn more about the health benefits of
cherries and to find recipes and tips, visit www.choosecherries.com.
The Cherry Marketing Institute (CMI) is an organization funded by
North American tart cherry growers and processors. CMI's mission is
to increase the demand for tart cherries through promotion, market
expansion, product development and research. For more information on
the science supporting the unique health benefits of cherries and for
cherry recipes and menu ideas, visit www.choosecherries.com.
Sources:
1. Mintel. Functional Foods - US. August, 2009. 2.
Multi-Sponsor Surveys, 2010. The 2010 Gallup Study of Nutrient
Knowledge & Composition. Multi-Sponsor Surveys, Princeton,
N.J.www.multisponsor.com. 3. Wu X, Beecher GR, Holden JM,
Haytowitz DB, Gebhardt SE, Prior RL. Lipophilic and hydrophilic
antioxidant capacities of common foods in the United States. J Agric
Food Chem 2004;52:4026-4037. 4. Kirakosyan A, Seymour EM, Llanes
DEU, Kaufman PB, Bolling SF. Chemical profile and antioxidant
capacities of tart cherry products. Food Chem 2009;115:20-25. 5.
Seymour EM, Ou B. Phytochemical and diverse antioxidant profile of
whole tart cherries (Prunus cerasus). FASEB J 2011;25:773.14. 6.
Wang H, Nair MG, Strasburg GM, Booren AM, Gray JI. Antioxidant
polyphenols from tart cherries (Prunus cerasus). J Agric Food Chem
1999;47:840-844. 7. Halvorsen BL, Carlsen MH, Phillips KM, Bohn
SK, Holte K, Jacobs DR, Blomhoff R. Content of redox-active compounds
(i.e., antioxidants) in foods consumed in the United States. Am J Clin
Nutr 2006;84:95-135. 8. U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Agriculture Research Service. 2010 Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity
(ORAC) of Selected Foods, Release 2. Nutrient Data Laboratory Home
Page: http://www.ars.usda.gov/nutrientdata/orac. 9. HealthFocus,
International, 2009. U.S. Trend Study. St. Petersburg,
FL.www.healthfocus.com. 10. Seeram NP, Momin RA, Nair MG, Bourquin
LD. Cyclooxygenase inhibitory and antioxidant cyanidin glycosides in
cherries and berries. Phytomedicine 2001;8:362-369. 11. Kim DO, Heo
HJ, Kim YJ, Yang HS, Lee CY. Sweet and sour cherry phenolics and their
protective effects on neuronal cells. J Agric Food Chem
2005;53:9921-9927 12. Tall JM, Seeram NP, Zhao C, Nair MG, Meyer
RA, Raja SN. Tart cherry anthocyanins suppress inflammation-induced
pain behavior in rat. Behav Brain Res 2004;153:181-188. 13. Bowtell
JL, Sumners DP, Dyer A, Fox P, Mileva KN. Montmorency cherry juice
reduces muscle damage caused by intensive strength exercise. Med Sci
Sports Exerc. 2011;43:1544-1551. 14. Kuehl KS, Perrier ET, Elliot
DL, Chestnutt J. Efficacy of tart cherry juice in reducing muscle pain
during running: a randomized controlled trial. J Int Soc Sports Nutr
2010;7:17-22. 15. Technomic, 2011. MarketBriefing. Technomic
Information Services. Chicago, IL.www.technomic.com
SOURCE Cherry Marketing Institute
-0- 02/08/2012
/CONTACT: Brian Packer, +1-312-988-2302, bpacker@webershandwick.com
/Web Site: http://www.choosecherries.com
CO: Cherry Marketing Institute
ST: Michigan
IN: SPM FOD
SU: SVY
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