Tart Cherries May Reduce Stroke Risk

Montmorency tart cherries have been found to activate PPAR isoforms (peroxisome proliferator activating receptors) in many of the body’s tissues.  Studies suggest that anthocyanins – the pigments that give the fruit its red color – may be responsible for PPAR activation.   E. Mitchell Seymour, from  the University of Michigan (Michigan, USA), and colleagues compared the effect of tart cherries and a  prescription drug that helps to regulate fat and glucose but for which long-term use can increase stroke risk.  Employing a model of stroke-prone rats which were put through various physical tests, such as walking on a tapered beam and climbing a ladder, the researchers found that compared to the drug, tart cherry intake significantly improved balance and coordination, and at the same time lowered blood pressure.  The study authors submit that: “intake of a physiologically-relevant amount of anthocyanins from tart cherry significantly reduced stroke-related phenotypes, was safer than [prescription drug], and may be a good preclinical model to explore the stroke-protective effects of an anthocyanin-rich diet.”