Very Well – Health
The Benefits of Regularly Eating Cherries
Lauren Panoff, MPH, RD – June 26, 2023
Medically reviewed by Roxana Ehsani, MS
Cherries are a beloved stone fruit of many plants in the Prunus genus. They are considered drupes, fruit with juicy outer flesh and a single pit inside, like peaches or olives. Cherries are delicious and contain vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.
This article examines the many types of cherries, their nutritional profile, and the benefits of regularly incorporating cherries into your diet.
How Many Types of Cherries Are There?
There are over 20 types of cherries, but you have likely only seen a few varieties at your grocery store or local farmers market.
The two major categories of cherries are sweet and sour, each with many different varieties. In the United States, sour cherries predominantly grow in the Midwest and East Coast, whereas sweet cherries are plentiful on the West Coast. Varieties include:
- Sweet cherries include dark red or black varieties, such as Bing, Lambert, Chelan, Sweetheart, and Tulare. These are slightly heart-shaped and juicy. They work well in salads and tarts. Rainier and Royal Ann are other popular sweet cherry varieties, which are pink and yellow and often served as part of a charcuterie board or cheese plate.
- Sour cherries include varieties such as Montmorency and morello. These are bright red with a tart flavor, making them great for pies, cobblers, and other sweet desserts.
Cherries are a nutritious snack all on their own. There’s not one variety that’s significantly healthier than another, so try them all and decide which you like the best. All you have to do is wash them and be sure to remove them or eat around the pit inside.
Benefits: What Makes Cherries Healthy
Cherries are often regarded as superfoods, which suggests their powerful health benefits. What makes cherries so healthy is that they’re packed with nutrients.
Superfoods
“Superfoods” is a marketing term highlighting foods that prevent disease and support overall health. There is no standard, science-backed criterion to deem foods “super,” although most foods marketed as such contain antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids.
Exercise Recovery
The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds in cherries may help you recover from intense exercise and resume exercising quicker. Tart cherries and tart cherry juice have been extensively studied for this.
Some research indicates that cherries can benefit your muscles by:
- Reducing soreness
- Promoting recovery
- Reducing exercise-associated pain associated with exercise
One study among endurance runners found that those who consumed 480 milligrams (mg) of powdered tart cherries daily for 10 days before running a half marathon ran the race 13% faster than the placebo group who did not consume tart cherries. Additionally, the cherry group reportedly experienced less muscle soreness after the race, allowing them to recover more quickly than the placebo group.
Heart Health
Cherries contain many heart-healthy compounds. For example, they are a good source of fiber, an essential nutrient for maintaining normal cholesterol levels and other blood markers. They also contain potassium, a mineral that helps balance sodium and promotes healthy blood pressure.
Research shows that cherry juice can help reduce blood pressure in adults within two hours of consumption and can help lower high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (considered bad cholesterol), a risk factor for heart disease.
Joint Health
Many people experience joint pain from the buildup of uric acid crystals, which can lead to inflammation. Cherries have been studied for their unique ability to normalize uric acid levels. This is why many people with joint pain and related conditions like gout (inflammatory arthritis) may benefit from adding cherries to their diet.
One review of 29 studies on cherry intake and gout found that cherries were beneficial for reducing related joint pain within a matter of days. Another study found that cherry extract and fresh cherry consumption were associated with a 35% reduction in gout attacks as soon as two days after consumption.
Sleep
Cherries contain melatonin, a natural compound that regulates your circadian rhythm (sleep-wake cycle). As the day ends, your brain releases melatonin to help prepare you for sleep. Melatonin levels decrease as morning nears to help you wake up for the day.
As we get older, melatonin levels naturally begin to decline. One study using tart cherry juice found that it increased participants’ melatonin levels, improving their sleep quality and duration of sleep.
Most studies on cherries and sleep use tart cherry juice or cherry extract. Fresh cherries may not have the same effect.
Nutrition Profile of a Single Serving of Cherries
Eating cherries one by one from a bag is easy, but you may wonder about their nutritional benefits. The standard serving size of fresh fruit is one-half cup.
Nutrition Profile of Cherries
A one-half-cup serving of fresh sweet raw pitted cherries offers the following:
- Calories: 50
- Protein: 1 gram (g)
- Total fat: 0 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Total sugars: 10 g
- Calcium: 10 mg
- Vitamin C: 5 mg
- Potassium: 170 mg
- Magnesium: 8 mg
Like other fruits, cherries are fat-free, offer limited protein, and contain carbohydrates from natural sugars and fiber. They also have a wide variety of vitamins and minerals.
Furthermore, cherries contain polyphenols and antioxidants, which are plant compounds with anti-inflammatory and protective properties for cellular health.
When Are Cherries Not as Healthy?
Cherries are a nutrient-rich fruit that fit into almost any diet pattern. Of course, people with a cherry allergy should not eat them, but are there other potential downsides to cherries?
When considering the health contributions of cherries, remember that you get the most benefits from fresh, raw cherries than those that have undergone heavy processing.
Products like canned and maraschino cherries contain significant added sugar, which can spike your blood sugar. And they don’t offer the benefits of fiber and other plant compounds found in raw cherries. Consuming fresh cherries vs. sugary cherry products is also better for people with diabetes.
A high added sugar intake increases the risk of numerous chronic diseases. Dried cherries may not have added sugar but do contain a more concentrated amount of natural sugars per serving than fresh cherries.
Eating many cherries in one sitting could lead to digestive symptoms if you’re not used to eating whole plant foods, fiber-filled fruits, and natural sugar. If you’re concerned about potential side effects, stick to a serving size of fresh or frozen cherries, which is one-half cup at a time.
Summary
If you’re a fan of cherries, you’re not alone. These juicy little fruits are very popular, especially in the summertime. Cherries are also a rich source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and other plant compounds responsible for various health benefits. Including cherries in your diet may benefit your heart, joint health, sleep, and exercise recovery.