If you ever wondered about the health benefits of drinking tart cherry juice, you can't afford to miss this...

Ongoing research continues to reveal the amazing health benefits of tart cherries. The tart cherry (technically known as Prunus cerasus) can be found in dried, powder, concentrate and of course fresh.

Studies suggest some of the tart cherry juice health benefits may include the ability to:

	Help Maintain Healthy Joint Function*
	Helps Support a Healthy Cardiovascular System*
	Maintain Healthy Sleep Patterns* This is due to the naturally occurring Melatonin found in the cherry juice.

The tart cherry is known as an upcoming “superfruit”. The term superfruit is defined as a unique group of nutrient-rich fruits that contain natural compounds that have been shown to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Nutrients Found in the Tart Cherry

Tart cherries are excellent sources of beta carotene (vitamin A). In fact, they contain
19 times the beta carotene of blueberries and strawberries. Cherries also are rich in vitamins C and E, and provide potassium, magnesium, iron, folate and fiber.  In fact, just ¼ cup of dried cherries provides 15% of the recommended daily allowance for fiber.

Antioxidant Scores of Tart Cherry Products

According to nutraceutical tests and ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity) conducted at Brunswick Laboratories in Wareham, MA, the tart cherry juice concentrate provided the highest ORAC score. Dr. Boxin Ou, principal research scientist on the project and one of the leading scientists in the United States on phytochemicals in plant foods published these results.

ORAC Value per 100 grams:

• Tart cherry juice concentrate has 12,800 ORAC units,
• Dried tart cherries have 6,800 ORAC units,
• Frozen tart cherries have 2,033 ORAC units,
• Canned water-pack tart cherries have 1,700 ORAC units.

The ORAC level of a specific food provides a measurement of the antioxidant capacities of that food and its ability to help the body fight free radicals. Nutritionists recommend that people should eat 3,000 to 5,000 ORAC units per day.

Melatonin in the Tart Cherry

Tart cherries are one of the few known food sources of naturally occurring melatonin, a potent antioxidant that helps maintain the body’s circadian rhythms and natural sleep patterns* (Burkhardt 2001). A study conducted by Reiter and colleagues at the University of Texas Health Science Center found that tart cherries contain substantial amounts of melatonin, at levels higher than normally found in human blood.

Anthocyanins in the Tart Cherry

The Anthocyanins is what gives tart cherries its rich, deep color and they belong to a large group of phenolic compounds called flavonoids. Of the 150 different flavonoids found in plants, anthocyanins appear to have the greatest antioxidant capacity.

Tart Cherry Juice Benefits At-a-Glance

	Maintain Maintain Healthy Joints*
	Helps Support a Healthy Cardiovascular System*
	Maintain Healthy Sleep Patterns* This is due to the naturally occurring Melatonin found in the cherry juice.
	Delivers 12,600 ORAC units per 100 gram service
	Source of naturally occurring Anthocyanins