With Daylight Savings coming to an end, sweet cherries are the perfect superfood to help your body adjust to the time change and ensure a great night's rest. Amongst other studies, the comprehensive "A Review of the Health Benefits of Cherries," published in March 2018 in the journal Nutrient, shows sweet cherries are a natural source of melatonin which helps control the body's internal clock while improving and regulating sleep patterns.
Along with being a natural source of melatonin ideal for the upcoming time change, sweet cherries have been found to offer other health benefits in recent studies as well.
Cherries can help reduce inflammation. Cherries are full of anthocyanins, antioxidants that help fight inflammation by shutting down the enzymes that cause tissue inflammation – similar to the action of ibuprofen and naproxen.
Cherries may help gout sufferers. Gout is a painful form of arthritis, associated with elevated levels of uric acid. A University of California at Davis study showed participants had reduced levels of uric acid after eating sweet cherries.
Cherries may help fight diabetes. Research at Michigan State University found anthocyanins in cherries lowered blood sugar in animals. Researchers speculate that the same effect may occur in humans.
Cherries contain agents that may help fight cancer. The flavonoids isoqueritrin and queritrin, and the phenol, ellagic acid, were verified in cherries. The flavonoids are known antioxidants, and ellagic acid appears to be a potent inhibitor to the growth of cancer cells.
Cherries boost your fiber quota. Americans are at a fiber deficit, falling far short of the 25-35-gram daily recommendation. Dietary Guidelines recommend two cups of fruit daily, and cherries help meet that target.
Cherries may promote weight loss. Cherries have a glycemic index of only 22. Foods with GI above 70 cause blood glucose to soar, then quickly crash, causing hunger; foods with a low GI release glucose slowly and evenly, leaving you feeling full.
