STUDIES SUGGEST TART CHERRIES MAY HELP REDUCE RISK FACTORS FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES

Tart Cherries May Help Slow Down Diabetic Epidemic

A Diabetes Epidemic is quickly spreading across the nation. Wether you're a diabetetic, pre-diabetic, or simply at risk of developing diabetes (and that covers just about all of us), then the time to control the risk factors is now.

Over 50 million Americans are "pre-diabetes" and several millions, who are, don't even know that they are. Pre-diabetes, also known as metabolic syndrome, is a cluster of health factors that put people at risk for type 2 diabetes. More than 20 million Americans already have the disease and struggling to cope.

 

Ongoing Research at University of Michigan

Ongoing research at University of Michigan suggests eating tart cherries or consuming cherry products may have a whole new meaning.

Below is part of Press Release issued by Cherry Marketing Institute to coincide with the Diabetes Month Activities:

A recent study in animals by University of Michigan researchers found diets enriched with
antioxidant-rich cherries significantly lowered insulin and fasting glucose levels, key markers for the development of type 2 diabetes. Adding cherries to the diet also lowered the animals’ total cholesterol levels and triglycerides after 90 days.

The American Diabetes Association estimates that most Americans with pre-diabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years unless they make changes to their food and exercise behaviors. More than 20 million Americans already have type 2 diabetes, a condition that greatly increases the risk for other diseases including heart disease and stroke.

“Cherries are packed with powerful plant pigments called anthocyanins – which give cherries their dark red color - and it’s these compounds we believe lower blood sugar and insulin levels,” said study co-author Dr. Steven F. Bolling, a cardiac surgeon at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center who also heads the U-M Cardioprotection Research Laboratory, where the study was performed in laboratory rats.

“We are encouraged to see in these animal trials that cherries have the potential to help reduce the risk for serious conditions like metabolic syndrome, or ‘pre-diabetes,’ and
it certainly warrants additional clinical research in humans.”

The study also showed the cherry-fed groups had lower levels of a plasma marker of oxidative damage and increased blood antioxidant capacity – not surprising since cherries are one of the richest sources of antioxidants.

The study used whole tart cherries in powder form, which was fed to rats as one percent of their total diet.

While the amount of cherries used in the study could equate to reasonable amounts in a
human diet, humans and rats differ substantially in the ability to absorb nutrients like anthocyanins and more research is needed to translate this science into a diet recommendation.

The study was funded by the Cherry Marketing Institute, which provided an unrestricted grant to the University of Michigan to conduct the research and was not directly involved in the design, conduct or analysis of the project.

Tart Cherry Juice is good for your health. Try it!