Tart cherries lower heart disease risk
Quote:
Tart cherries lower heart disease risk
WASHINGTON: A new study by University of Michigan researchers has linked tart cherries, one of today's hottest 'Super Fruits,' to lowering risk
factors for heart disease.
Besides lowering cholesterol and reducing inflammation, the study found that a cherry-enriched diet lowered body weight and fat - major risk factors for heart disease.
In the study, at-risk, obese rats that were fed a cherry-enriched diet saw significant decreases in body weight and fat while maintaining lean muscle mass.
After twelve weeks, the cherry-fed rats had 14 percent lower body fat compared to the other rats who did not consume cherries.
The researchers suggested cherry consumption could have an effect on important fat genes and genetic expression.
The animals were fed a "Western diet," characterized by high fat and moderate carbohydrate - in line with the typical American diet - with or without added whole tart cherry powder, as 1 percent of the diet.
"We know excess body fat increases the risk for heart disease. This research gives us one more support point suggesting that diet changes, such as including cherries, could potentially lower heart disease risk," said study co-author Dr. Steven F. Bolling, a cardiac surgeon at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center who also heads the U-M Cardioprotection Research Laboratory, where the study was performed.
Cherry-enriched diets in the study also reduced total cholesterol levels by about 11 percent and two known markers of inflammation - commonly produced by abdominal fat and linked to increased risk for heart disease.
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