Cherries may taste like dessert, but there’s a surprising amount going on underneath that bright red skin.
Packed with antioxidants and other beneficial plant compounds, cherries have been studied for everything from sleep and joint comfort to heart health and exercise recovery. Here are 11 reasons you may want to enjoy them more often.
1. You May Sleep Better
Here’s one of the more unusual things about cherries: certain varieties, particularly tart cherries, naturally contain melatonin, a hormone involved in regulating your sleep-wake cycle.
Research has explored whether tart cherry juice may help improve certain measures of sleep, including sleep duration and quality.
That doesn't mean a bowl of cherries will knock you out like a sleeping pill. But if you're looking for foods that fit naturally into a sleep-friendly diet, tart cherries are an interesting one.
2. Your Joints May Thank You
The deep red color of many cherries comes partly from plant compounds called anthocyanins.
These antioxidants have been studied for their relationship with inflammation and oxidative stress — two processes that can play a role in how stiff and achy your body feels.
Tart cherries have received particular attention among people dealing with exercise-related soreness and certain inflammatory conditions.
3. They May Support a Healthy Heart
Cherries provide potassium, an important mineral involved in healthy blood pressure regulation.
They also contain polyphenols — beneficial plant compounds found in many colorful fruits and vegetables.
Diets rich in fruits and vegetables are consistently associated with better cardiovascular health, so cherries can be one tasty way to add more heart-friendly plant foods to your day.
4. They Could Help With Exercise Recovery
Ever feel surprisingly sore the day after gardening, walking farther than usual or doing a workout?
Tart cherry juice has become popular among athletes because researchers have studied whether its naturally occurring plant compounds can help with muscle soreness and recovery following strenuous exercise.
Some studies have reported improvements in certain measures of soreness or recovery.
And you certainly don't have to be a marathon runner to appreciate that potential benefit.
5. They May Help Keep You Regular
Fresh cherries contain both water and fiber, two things your digestive system appreciates.
Fiber helps support normal bowel movements, while fruit's high water content contributes to your daily fluid intake.
There is one catch: eating a large amount of cherries at once can cause gas, bloating or loose stools in some people.
So if you're not accustomed to eating much fruit or fiber, don't start with the entire bag.
6. Tart Cherries Have an Interesting Connection to Gout
This is perhaps one of the most surprising areas of cherry research.
Cherries have been studied in people with gout, a painful form of inflammatory arthritis associated with uric acid and the formation of urate crystals in joints.
Some observational research has found an association between cherry consumption and fewer gout attacks.
Cherries shouldn't be viewed as a replacement for gout medication or medical treatment, but the research makes them an especially interesting fruit for scientists studying diet and gout.
7. They May Give Your Brain Some Extra Support
Those colorful anthocyanins aren't only interesting for your joints.
Researchers are also interested in how diets rich in polyphenols and antioxidant-containing fruits may support brain health as we age.
Cherries aren't going to prevent memory loss on their own. But regularly eating colorful fruits and vegetables is one of the dietary habits associated with healthy aging — and cherries are an easy way to add more of those plant compounds.
8. They Can Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth Without Candy
Craving something sweet after dinner?
A bowl of fresh cherries gives you natural sweetness along with fiber, vitamins, minerals and plant compounds — things you won't get from a handful of candy.
That makes cherries a simple whole-food option when you're craving dessert but still want something nutritious.
Just remember that dried cherries are much more concentrated and frequently contain added sugar, so check the label.
9. They May Fit Better Into a Blood-Sugar-Friendly Diet Than You Think
Cherries are sweet, so it's easy to assume they're loaded with sugar.
But whole cherries also provide fiber and water, and their effect on blood sugar isn't the same as drinking a sugary cherry beverage.
That doesn't mean you can eat unlimited amounts, particularly if you're managing diabetes or monitoring carbohydrates. Portion size still matters.
But there's generally no reason to fear whole fruit simply because it tastes sweet.
10. They Give Your Immune System Vitamin C
Cherries aren't the most vitamin C-rich fruit on the planet, but they do provide some.
Vitamin C plays several important roles in the body, including supporting normal immune function and collagen production and acting as an antioxidant.
No single food can “boost” your immune system enough to prevent illness, but cherries can contribute to the variety of nutrients your immune system needs to function normally.
11. You're Getting a Powerful Mix of Plant Compounds
This may ultimately be the best reason to eat cherries.
Along with fiber, potassium and vitamin C, cherries contain an assortment of polyphenols, including anthocyanins.
These compounds are one reason researchers are so interested in colorful fruits and vegetables and their potential role in long-term health.
Instead of looking for one miracle nutrient, think about cherries as another way to increase the variety of beneficial plant foods in your diet.
Sweet Cherries or Tart Cherries?
Both can be healthy choices, but they're not exactly the same.
The dark red cherries you typically buy fresh at the grocery store are usually sweet cherries, while tart or sour cherries — such as Montmorency cherries — are frequently sold frozen, dried, juiced or concentrated.
Much of the research involving sleep and exercise recovery has specifically looked at tart cherries or tart cherry products, so it's important not to assume every finding applies equally to every type of cherry.
And watch the added sugar.
Dried cherries, cherry juice drinks and canned cherries can contain considerably more added sugar than fresh or frozen unsweetened fruit.
Cherries aren't a miracle food, and you certainly don't have to eat them every day to be healthy.
But they're a delicious way to get more fiber, potassium, vitamin C and antioxidant-rich plant compounds into your diet — and some of the research surrounding tart cherries is particularly interesting.
So the next time cherries are in season, don't think of them as just another sweet treat.
That little red fruit has a lot more going for it than you might expect.
