What Are the 16 Potential Health Benefits of Tart Cherry Juice?

Medically Reviewed on 7/19/2022
16 Potential Health Benefits of Tart Cherry Juice
Tart cherries are high in cancer-fighting compounds and they help regulate the body’s metabolism, which can aid in losing body fat.

Tart cherry has some incredible health advantages due to all of the beneficial nutrients it contains.

  • Tart cherries are high in antioxidants including vitamin A.
  • They provide calcium, potassium, and copper, as well as less sugar and carbohydrates.
  • They contain a trace amount of B vitamins, iron, magnesium, and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that make them one of the best juices to drink to benefit overall health.

Consuming tart cherries has many advantages. One benefit of tart cherries is that they increase circulation, which aids in exercise recovery and enhances athletic performance. Tart cherries offer a significant quantity of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory substances, which support a stronger immune system and better sleep. However, the secret is moderation to reap these benefits without side effects.

16 health benefits of tart cherry juice

Sixteen potential health benefits of tart cherry juice include:

  1. May improve blood circulation:
    • Improved circulation is arguably one of tart cherry juice's most intriguing advantages. This allows the body to distribute more oxygen.
    • The juice's anti-inflammatory ingredients help improve blood vessel health, which improves blood flow throughout the body. 
    • Additionally, anthocyanins, a particular class of antioxidants, aid in promoting healthy blood circulation. 
  2. Provides energy:
    • Drinking tart cherry juice helps enhance your energy levels by providing carbs and necessary micronutrients that generate energy in the body. Antioxidants in tart cherries keep you healthy from within.
    • Tart cherries contain at least 17 types of antioxidants. These antioxidants prevent tissue damage, which is the cause of several chronic diseases and aging.
  3. Strengthens the immune system:
    • Tart cherry juice is known for keeping your immune system strong because of all the vitamins and minerals it contains. 
    • The antioxidants it contains are great for keeping your body healthy and prepared to fight off potential harm.
    • Tart cherry juice contains flavonoids, which are the specific antioxidants that may enhance the immune system as shown in various studies.
    • Melatonin, copper, and vitamin C in tart cherries help improve immunity and fight infections.
  4. Can help protect your cells:
    • One of the most significant advantages of tart cherries is their high antioxidant content. Antioxidants are substances that aid in the protection of your cells against free radicals. 
    • According to research, free radical damage can lead to illnesses such as cancer, arthritis, and dementia
    • Anthocyanin is a powerful antioxidant found in tart cherries. According to research, sour cherry juice can inhibit certain damaging oxidation processes in cell membranes.
  5. Can promote healthy sleep:
    • Tart cherries contain melatonin, a hormone that aids in the regulation of the sleep-wake cycle.
    • Tart cherry juice may boost the availability of tryptophan, an important amino acid that serves as a precursor to serotonin, which aids in sleep. 
    • Studies report that drinking tart cherry juice before bed and a few times throughout the day benefits the body without the side effect of causing daytime sleepiness.
  6. May soothe muscle soreness post-workout:
    • Tart cherries are high in antioxidants, which may help your body recover after a workout.
    • According to research, including tart cherry juice in your diet before and after exercising can result in reduced muscular pain and faster recovery.
  7. May prevent arthritis:
    • Tart cherry juice is extremely beneficial to people with arthritis, particularly those suffering from osteoarthritis
    • Increased swelling makes several types of arthritis more painful. The juice's anti-inflammatory qualities may help reduce swelling and general discomfort in the body. 
    • Research has demonstrated that drinking cherry juice two times a day for three weeks reduces the quantity of important inflammatory markers detected in some people with osteoarthritis.
  8. Supports heart health:
    • Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of tart cherry juice polyphenol anthocyanins have been linked to lower blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein (bad) cholesterol levels.
    • Studies have reported that the addition of tart cherry juice to the diet may reduce the formation of plaque and enhance cardiac performance.
    • This has been demonstrated after taking tart cherry juice for at least 12 weeks.
  9. May lower blood pressure:
    • Drinking tart cherry juice may help regulate blood pressure. Studies have reported that tart juice may lower endothelin-1 and plasminogen activator inhibitors, which are potent constrictors of the blood vessels.
    • Within two hours of a single dose of 300 mL of tart cherry juice, the acute effect of consumption decreased both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
  10. May benefit people with diabetes:
    • According to studies, anthocyanin, and phenols in tart cherry juice may improve insulin sensitivity and hemoglobin A1C levels.
    • Anthocyanins specifically may lower blood sugar by delaying the release of sugar from complex carbohydrates in food. 
    • Additionally, it increases the availability of insulin by pancreatic cells and the entry of glucose into liver cells for storage. 
    • Tart cherry juice has a low glycemic index, which means it does not cause blood sugar spikes.
  11. Pain relief:
    • Antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, particularly anthocyanins, in tart cherries have been compared to several pain medications as a potent natural painkillers.
  12. Anti-cancer properties:
    • In laboratory experiments, antioxidant chemicals present in tart cherries were demonstrated to inhibit cancer development and proliferation in cell cultures. 
    • Tart cherries are high in cancer-fighting compounds such as limonene, perillyl alcohol, and ellagic acid. These compounds limit tumor growth by reducing cancer cell proliferation.
    • Studies have reported that tart cherry juice may be explored as a possible natural therapy for preventing colon cancer.
  13. May help treats, or prevent, gout flare-ups:
    • Tart cherry juice may be able to prevent frequent gout flare-ups. Gout is caused by uric acid accumulation. However, tart cherry juice has been found in trials to lower uric acid levels in the body.
  14. Helps combat love handles:
    • Tart cherries are good for managing body weight increase and combating abdominal fat
    • Tart cherries help regulate the body’s metabolism and aid in losing body fat.
    • In addition, the flavonoids present in cherries, anthocyanins, are known to combat obesity-caused inflammation.
  15. May improve brain health:
    • Because cherries contain significant quantities of antioxidants, consuming the juice may assist your brain stay healthy and aid in short and long-term memory.
    • People with mild to severe dementia may benefit from tart cherry juice. According to research, tart cherry extract enhanced working memory and reduces age-related inflammation.
    • A mixture of essential fatty acids and tart cherry extract can protect against Alzheimer's disease inflammation. Because the illness is frequently exacerbated by oxidative stress, antioxidants are critical for maintaining brain function.
  16. Good for eye health:

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What are the possible side effects of tart cherry juice?

Although tart cherry juice is thought to be safe, it should only be consumed occasionally. Before including tart cherry juice in regular diets, people who have underlying chronic medical conditions should always talk to their doctor.

Many of the beneficial nutrients in tart cherries will still be present after juicing, but the fiber content will be lost. The fiber in the diet is crucial. It keeps your digestive system working, which promotes regularity by giving the bulk of your stool.

Excess consumption of tart cherry juice may lead to:

Despite these side effects, the efficacy of tart cherry juice is undeniable in protecting the body against inflammation.

Because tart cherry juice contains flavonols, anthocyanins, and phenols, it follows that this particular juice can ward off a good number of pathologies that are associated with inflammation. However, it is best to consult your doctor if you are taking medication.

You should always be aware of the sugar content of the products you select.

How much consumption of tart cherry juice is safe?

There are no known definitive guidelines on how much tart juice consumption is safe.

  • The majority of the studies safely administered two eight-ounce (240 mL) doses of the juice two times daily to achieve their intended effects. 
  • However, tart cherry juice powder was frequently used in studies using powdered supplements at a dose of 480 mg per day. 
  • Effects of supplementation were noted by researchers after 7 to 10 days.

For the majority of people, drinking tart cherry juice is safe although it is best to discuss with your doctor the safe and effective dosages for you.

Because tart cherries are so easy to incorporate into your routine, it's simple to enjoy their health benefits.

Medically Reviewed on 7/19/2022
References
Image Source: iStock image

Tart Cherry Juice: Is It Good for You? https://www.webmd.com/diet/tart-cherry-juice-good-for-you#:

Effects of Tart Cherry Juice on Biomarkers of Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Older Adults: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6413159/

Effects of a Tart Cherry Juice Beverage on the Sleep of Older Adults with Insomnia: A Pilot Study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3133468/

10 Amazing Health Benefits Of Tart Cherry Juice: https://www.organicfacts.net/tart-cherry-juice.html