This tiny red fruit offers more than just great taste. Medical research Universities are discovering that tart cherries are an effective treatment for gout.

Cherries are a rich source of antioxidants including anthocyanins, flavonoids, vitamin A, C and E. Antioxidants help the body to fight free radicals that cause aging and other nasty aliments. One compound of the cherry has attracted a lot of attention lately due to its ability to help relieve inflammation in the body, joints and tissues. Initial research on anthocyanins indicated they helped to provide color plants, fruits and vegetables. However, emerging research are revealing that offer much more than a color additive.

What are Anthocyanins and What Health Benefits Can They Offer? Thanks to botanists, to date, over 300 distinct types of Anthocyanins have been identified. Anthocyanins belong to a specific class of flavonoids and different classes of flavonoids have different oxidations states and health benefits. The synergistic makeup of antioxidant and anthocyanins found in tart cherries are able to help the body reduce inflammation. It is being discover the tart cherry is a natural COX 1 and COX 2 inhibitor.

In published papers from researchers from Michigan State University the anthocyanins in tart cherries are at least 10 times more effective than common non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs including aspirin. This helps to neutralize tissue swelling in the body and even helps to dissolve uric acid crystals that form in the joints. For example, one reason for gout is excess uric acid in the blood. Studies from the University of California have shown that eating a daily serving of cherries can actually lower uric acid in the blood.

How Anthocyanins Work in Fighting Joint Pain?

Like other natural treatments, Anthocyanins are really amazing how they help the body to fight cell and tissue damage. When a part of the body becomes inflamed or suffers a gout attack, connective tissues begin to tear and separate. This makes the capillaries to break and burst, thus allowing blood to spill over to surrounding area and tissue. During this point, anthocyanins begin to combat, like commando agents, any destructive enzymes to prevent further damage. In addition, they begin protecting the damaged tissue to preventing further damage. After all of this, Anthocyanins help to restore the damaged tissues to its original state.

So the tart cherry helps to restore the tissue and prevent inflammation. So how much tart cherry is needed to benefit? According to research, as little as 20 cherries is enough to combat the enzymes damaging the tissue and causing joint pain and inflammation.

Studies have shown that eating fresh fruit, drinking tart cherry juice and taking tart cherry capsules on a regular basis can help the body fight inflammation and pain. Here are few reliable sources for tart cherry products: Traverse Bay Farms http://www.traversebayfarms.com and Fruit Advantage http://www.fruitadvantage.com