by Case Adams, Naturopath
Several studies have now confirmed that cherries not only increase sleep duration and sleep quality, but they are anti-inflammatory.
The newest study comes from researchers at Spain’s University of Extremadura. They tested 30 people – ten between 20 and 30 years old, ten between 35 and 55 years old and ten between 65 and 85 years old.
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The researchers randomly divided the subjects into two groups. They were given either a tart cherry juice drink or a placebo with cherry flavor twice a day. Those who drank the cherry juice experienced substantially better sleep quality – measured by sleep efficiency, awakenings, and total sleep time.
Moreover, the researchers found that the older group experienced better improvements in sleep quality that the younger groups.
Another study included scientists from the United States (Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine), the UK (Northumbria University and the University of Surrey) and South Africa (University of Johannesburg). This study followed 20 healthy men and women with an average age of 27 years old.
Half of the group was randomly assigned to drink tart cherry juice concentrate and the other half drank a placebo for seven days. The juice concentrate was made from tart Montmorency cherries (Prunus cerasus).
The results determined that the cherry group slept an average of 34 minutes more per night and had a 5-6% increase in sleep efficiency. Sleep efficiency is the time spent asleep as a proportion of time in bed.
They also found that the internal melatonin levels among the cherry group increased significantly, while the placebo group did not have any melatonin increase. Within 48 hours of cherry juice consumption, the urine of the cherry drinkers showed increased levels of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin – the primary melatonin metabolite. The researchers also measured melatonin levels by studying the subjects’ circadian rhythms.
The researchers concluded:
these data suggest that consumption of a tart cherry juice concentrate provides an increase in exogenous melatonin that is beneficial in improving sleep duration and quality in healthy men and women and might be of benefit in managing disturbed sleep.
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Cherries contain natural melatonin
Earlier research confirmed that Montmorency cherries contain melatonin. Research led by Dr. Russel Reiter from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas determined that the tart cherries will contain up to contain up to 13.5 nanograms (ng) of melatonin per gram of cherries. This is typically more than the levels found in the bloodstream.
Another study, this from Spain’s University of Extremadura, also found that sleep quality and duration increased among elderly adults who consumed Jerte Valley cherries – another variety of tart cherries.
While cherries significantly spike melatonin levels and increase sleep quality, research on supplemental synthetic melatonin or melatonin extracted from the pineal glands of cows has been conflicting. These exogenous forms have been shown to improve sleep-phase disorders, but sleep quality results have been equivocal.
The difference may well lie in cherries’ phytochemical content. Researchers from this most recent study stated:
cherry juice has been shown to decrease oxidative stress and inflammation following strenuous exercise making it possible that these antioxidant and/or anti-inflammatory properties modulated indices of sleep in this study…
Cherries reduce inflammation
The newest research comes from the USDA’s Western Human Nutrition Research Center at the University of California at Davis.
This study tested 18 men and women between 45 and 61 years old. They were given 280 grams per day of Bing sweet cherries for 28 days.
After 28 days, the subjects had significantly lower levels of several inflammatory factors. Their CRP levels, ferritin levels plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) levels were all about 20 percent lower, while their endothelin-1 levels were 14 percent lower, and their epidermal growth factor was 13 percent lower. Their IL-1 levels were 28 percent lower, and their advanced glycation end product receptor levels were 29 percent lower. All of these reductions indicated reduced inflammation within the body.