Cherry Nutrition Benefits

By Karen Ansel, M.S., R.D., "Choose Cherries," May/June 2012

Eating cherries may help you sleep better, lose weight and help prevent some diseases.

Ease muscle soreness.
Tart cherry juice may quell post-workout pain, says a 2010 Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition study. Runners who downed 24 ounces of tart cherry juice daily (about 480 calories) for seven days before a long-distance race, and again on race day, reported fewer aches afterward than runners who drank a placebo. Researchers believe that tart cherries’ antioxidants protect against attacks by exercise-induced free radicals, which can lead to painful inflammation.

Next: Combat cancer »