Taking Some Cherries a Day
By LAURA JOHANNES
July 11, 2006; Page D3
Could cherry pie actually be good for you? Cherry growers and companies marketing cherry products claim the small fruit contains natural chemicals that decrease inflammation, aid sleep, soothe arthritis and even fight cancer. Evidence of benefits has been mounting in recent years, but experts say far more research is needed.
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This month is peak season for harvesting fresh cherries. Cherries widely sold in the U.S. include sweet Bing cherries, grown largely in California and Washington, and tart Montmorency cherries, the bulk of which come from Michigan. In addition to fresh cherries, products that claim health benefits include dried cherries for munching or cooking, cherry pie fillings, preserves and capsules sold as a dietary supplement. In recent years, juices made from tart cherries are becoming widely available; one new sports drink called Cherrypharm -- currently being provided free to the New York Rangers and other athletes as a promotional effort -- is expected to go on sale later this summer.
But companies making claims to cure diseases such as cancer will likely run afoul of regulators. In October, the Food and Drug Administration sent warning letters to 29 firms it said were illegally labeling cherry products as drugs. To make those claims, the companies would need to go through an extensive -- and expensive -- drug-approval process.
There is preliminary evidence behind the claims that cherries have health benefits. About 15 years ago, Michigan State University researchers found that cherries have anti-inflammatory activity in laboratory testing similar to commonly used painkillers. More recently, researchers have found that a diet including freeze-dried cherries suppressed a type of intestinal tumor in mice. A small human study even found that eating cherries lowered blood levels of uric acid, which contribute to a severe form of arthritis called gout.
So far, however, the bulk of this evidence comes from research funded by growers or marketers of cherry products. An unusual human study, published in the June 21 online edition of the British Journal of Sports Medicine, is one of the first to ever test the anti-inflammatory benefits of cherries in humans. Funded by closely held Cherrypharm Inc. of Geneva, N.Y., the study found that drinking 24 fluid ounces of its tart juice product daily for four days prior to intense bicep curls designed to cause muscle injury significantly reduced pain and inflammation compared with a control drink made with Kool-Aid. The authors from the University of Vermont, Cornell University and Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, disclosed that they each own a 2.5% stake in the company.
"The science isn't there," says Barry Popkin, a professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Animal and lab studies aren't enough to prove an effect in humans, he says. The Cherrypharm study, which studied 14 male college students, is too small to be meaningful, he adds. Cherrypharm founder John Davey says the study is a "good start" and the company is planning to fund additional research.
On the positive side, nutritionists say, cherries won't hurt you and at least in the fresh form likely have other benefits, such as fiber. But calories can be high: Cherrypharm's eight-ounce bottle has 132. With its current formulation, the company says you'd need to drink two bottles a day, or a total of 264 calories, to get as many cherries as the study-test subjects got. |
