Of course, no one wants to deal with an upset stomach. But aside from avoiding gas or nausea, people are paying more attention to gut health these days due to the alarming rise in colon cancer cases among young people. So, when gastroenterologist Joseph Salhab, MD, recently shared the beverage he drinks everyday for gut health, our ears perked up. Ahead, learn all about the benefits of this juice.
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Tart cherry juice can reduce gut inflammation.
In a recent TikTok video, Salhab boasted the health benefits of tart cherry juice.
"This juice is really unique because, even as a juice, it has a really high anthocyanin and polyphenol content," he explains. "In fact, it might the most out of any juice. And gut bacteria can use this to produce anti-inflammatory compounds in the gut."
Salhab points to a 2019 study published in the journal Nutrients, which found that tart cherry juice's "anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties" helped to lower the levels of systolic blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in adults aged 65 to 80.
He also references research that is looking into how tart cherry juice can help bring down inflammation in those who suffer from inflammatory gut conditions. One such study, published this year in the journal Life, found that in people suffering from ulcerative colitis, twice-daily tart cherry juice supplementation resulted in a 40 percent reduction in calprotectin, which is produced due to gut inflammation.
But perhaps most exciting is a 2023 study published in the journal Cancer Letters that sought to understand how tart cherry juice's anthocyanins could inhibit intestinal tumor development in mice and the growth of human colon cancer cell lines. Their results suggest that tart cherry juice may reduce the risk of colon cancer, though further research in humans in necessary.
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A specific type of cherry works best.
Salhab shared that he drinks pure tart cherry juice from Montmorency cherries, which is not made from concentrate and has no added sugar. He typically mixes about a quarter cup of tart cherry juice with a half cup of ice water.
And science shows that his recipe is probably the healthiest choice. The Life study specifically gave participants a Montmorency tart cherry beverage.
And this is welcome news since these cherries are the most commonly grown tart cherries in the U.S. and Canada. In fact, "more than 94 percent of Montmorency tart cherries consumed in the U.S. are grown in the U.S.," most of which come from Michigan, according to the Cherry Industry Administrative Board.
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Tart cherry juice may also aid with sleep.
If tart cherry juice sounds familiar to you, it's likely because it made the rounds on social media as part of the "sleepy girl mocktail." This viral beverage is made of tart cherry juice, magnesium powder, and sparkling water.
Salhab says he drinks tart cherry juice at night to help with sleep, but he notes that the juice alone is a natural source of melatonin, a hormone that's well known to regulate sleep.
To that point, a 2018 pilot study tested the efficacy of Montmorency tart cherry juice to treat insomnia in adults over 50. The researchers found that the juice increased tryptophan (an amino acid that affects brain chemicals related to sleep) and reduced inflammation, thereby improving participants' sleep time by an average of 84 minutes.
