An Australian study has highlighted the potential weight loss properties of sweet cherries.
Conducted by the University of Tasmania’s (UTAS) Faculty of Health, the research saw a 19 per cent reduction in weight gain amongst a sample group that was fed a cherry anthocyanin extract compared to a group not fed cherry anthocyanin.
The study was led by Dr Melanie Blackhall, with support from leading Tasmanian cherry grower-packer-exporter Reid Fruits over the past two years.
“For many decades there has been anecdotal evidence of the massive health benefits of sweet cherries,” Reid Fruits managing director Tim Reid said.
“Dr Blackhall’s research is a fantastic start to providing scientific proof of those benefits, in relation to the properties of the bioactive compound anthocyanin, found in sweet cherries.”
The research also concluded that cherry anthocyanin can help reduce inflammation. Reid said more work will go into examining the anti-inflammatory properties of sweet cherry extract.
“That this extract might also have potential weight loss benefits for human beings into the future is also very exciting but obesity is a main contributory factor in many diseases such as heart disease and some cancers and therefore the role sweet cherries can potentially play in reducing the impact of these diseases is very exciting,” Reid explained.
