Super Fitness Health BlogMontmorency cherries: Antioxidant power
We are incredibly excited to announce our fantastic, new Montmorency Cherry Force capsules – these superfood beauties are packed with antioxidants and are often used by sportsmen and sportswomen during times of extreme training for added support in terms of energy levels and muscle recovery.
WHAT IS IT?
The Montmorency cherry is a variety of sour / tart cherry (technically referred to as “Prunus cerasus”), which is part of the lighter-red amarelle cultivar of sour cherries, rather than the darker-red Morello cultivar. It is mainly grown in the United States (over 70%), but can also be seen in Canada and France.
It is usually used as an ingredient in cooking, but since the early 21st century, the Montmorency cherry has also been widely promoted as a highly nutritious food, due to many supposed health benefits, and is now generally acknowledged as a “superfruit” (i.e. a nutrient-rich fruit containing natural compounds absent in the vast majority of other fruits, which is thought to have potential disease-fighting and health promoting / healing properties).
HEALTH BENEFITS OF MONTMORENCY CHERRIES
History
For centuries, the cherry (either as bark, root or fruit), has been a source of medicinal remedies for indigenous peoples. Native Americans, for example, used cherries as pain relievers (the Cherokees used an infusion of sour cherry bark to treat laryngitis; the Ojibwa used the crushed root for stomach pain).
Research on health benefits
Everyone already knows that cherries have a great taste, but the amount of research in support of the mind-blowing health benefits of cherries continues to increase through ongoing research. Such research suggests that because of, for example, its concentrated levels of antioxidants (such as melatonin) and nutrients (such as beta carotene), the Montmorency cherry may have a number of noteworthy health-related uses.
Antioxidant health benefits
Montmorency cherries are rich in antioxidants, which fight free radicals in the body and may help to prevent disease, as well as slow the aging process. The latest research shows that Montmorency cherries have high ORAC (oxygen radical absorption capacity) values. You would have to eat more than 20 average portions of other fruit and vegetables to get the same amount of antioxidants as you get in one portion of Montmorency cherries.
In particular, they are one of the few natural food sources of:
• the potent antioxidant, melatonin, which is thought to help maintain the body’s circadian rhythms and improve sleep cycles; and
• the class of compounds, Super Oxide Dismutase (SODs), which act as super scavengers of dangerous free radicals, destroying them throughout the body. The human body tends to be deficient in SODs.
Anti-inflammatory agents
Montmorency cherries contain many phytonutrients, including anthocyanins (natural colourants) and other phenolic and flavanoid compounds.
Anthocyanins have powerful anti-inflammatory properties, which may help maintain healthy joint function, mobility and flexibility, reduce inflammation and ease the pain of arthritis. They are also thought to lower urate levels in the body and have therefore been used by traditional healers as a remedy for gout.
Other benefits
Montmorency cherries are unique, in that they:
• are thought to support healthy cardiovascular function;
• may offer protection against heart disease;
• may reduce the risk of diabetes and insulin resistance syndrome;
• may aid in the treatment and possible prevention of memory loss;
• are low in sugar, sodium and calories;
• are an excellent source of beta carotene (vitamin A), e.g. they contain 19 times the beta carotene of blueberries and strawberries; and
• are rich in vitamins C and E, and a good source of potassium, magnesium, iron, folate and fibre.
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