Are tart cherries the newest superfood? Well, no, but only because I don't like the term "superfood."
If it wasn't applied to a new "healthy" and usually strange food every other week, I wouldn't think of it as such a fad-word, but it's too late.
That said, many of these cape-wearing superfoods are actually great choices, and tart cherries are no exception.
The tart cherry is one of nature's fruit snacks, without the cartoon mascot and artificial sugars.
In a test involving lab rats, researchers from the University of Michigan Health System found tart cherries to lower cholesterol, lower blood sugar, lessen the amount of fat storage in the liver, lower oxidative stress, and increase production of a molecule that assists the body in metabolizing fat and sugar.
Not a bad list of superpowers for such an unassuming, mild-mannered little fruit.
Antioxidant compounds known as anthocyanins are found in high amounts in tart cherries. Researchers say that a strong correlation appears to exist between the consumption of tart cherries and the clear changes in metabolic measurements such as those listed above.
Of course, this study still remains at the rodent phase; it will take human clinical trials to determine if tart cherries carry similar benefits for us.
FYI: U-M researchers already plan to launch a small clinical trial some time in the near future.
I love regular cherries, but have yet to try the tart variety. I'll be picking some up this week though, so what are your thoughts if you've tried them?
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