Montmorency Cherry Antioxidants
Montmorency cherries have been discovered to be a rich source of potent, natural Antioxidants and Flavonoids.
These compounds can protect the body against degenerative diseases, including cardiovascular disease, brain degeneration and various forms of cancer. They can also have anti-inflammatory properties, improve sleep and have a host of other important benefits on your health.
What are Antioxidants?
Antioxidants are vitamins, minerals, and other compounds found in foods that can help slow down or prevent the oxidation process. There are at least 17 compounds in Montmorency cherries with antioxidant properties.
Antioxidants help prevent or repair damage done to the body's cells by naturally occurring compounds called free radicals. Simply put, a free radical is a molecule with a missing electron, which can cause serious damage to our body’s cells.
An antioxidant may donate one of its electrons to the free radical. If no antioxidants are present, a free radical takes an electron from vital cell structures, damaging the cell and eventually leading to disease. Antioxidants have been shown to increase immune function and possibly decrease risk of infection and cancer. Based on the research at Michigan State University, Montmorency cherries are a rich source of naturally occurring antioxidants, which could be effective replacements for synthetic antioxidants.
Why are Antioxidants Important?
Antioxidants provide benefits to virtually all the major systems of the body, including the cardiovascular system, the immune system and specific groups of nerve cells (neurons) in the brain.
Antioxidants also can give protection against cancers and can help slow some steps in the ageing process.
Free radicals are a major concern because they can reduce antioxidant activity. There are five basic types of damage caused by free radicals:
Lipid peroxidation – free radicals initiate damage to fat compounds in the body, causing them to turn rancid and release more free radicals.
Cross-linking – free radical reactions cause proteins and/or DNA molecules to fuse together.
Membrane damage – free radical reactions destroy the integrity of the cell membrane, which in turn interferes with the cell’s ability to take in nutrients and expel wastes.
Lysosome damage – free-radical reactions rupture lysosome cell (digestive particle) membranes; these then spill into the cell and digest critical cell compounds.
When free radicals outnumber the antioxidant activity, the result is an imbalance known as oxidative stress. This means that the free radicals can overpower the antioxidant potential and damage cells in the body. People produce more free radicals and fewer antioxidants as they age. This can potentially lead to mental and physical decline. The decrease in antioxidant production can begin as early as age 25. Many experts believe that people must eat antioxidant-rich foods, especially as they age, to maintain a high quality of life.
What antioxidants are in Montmorency cherries?
Anthocyanins – these powerful antioxidant compounds, which give the fruit its bright red hue, are known to have powerful anti-inflammatory qualities as well as help protect the cardiovascular system against a build up of plaque.
Melatonin – this is one of the most potent antioxidants discovered. Melatonin is a powerful anti-cancer agent, has anti-inflammatory properties and also controls daily circadian rhythms, helping improve sleep patterns. Montmorency cherries contain significantly high levels of Melatonin.
Super Oxide Dismutase (SOD) - a powerful enzyme and cellular antioxidant, SOD acts as a super scavenger of superoxide anions by ferreting out and destroying them throughout the body. The human body is often lacking SOD, thus the burden of defence often relies on intake of exogenous dietary antioxidants. Very few natural foods contain SOD.
Proanthocyanins - these are a group of flavonoids, also called condensed tannins, and are known powerful free radical scavengers and antioxidants. In fact, they are the most powerful chain breaking antioxidants known so far. There is a substantial quantity of proanthocyanins in Montmorency cherries.
Flavonoids - For the first time, six major flavonoids in Montmorency cherries were identified by the Brunswick Laboratories. They are chlorogenic acid, neochlorogenic acid, coumaroylquinic acid, rutin-glucoside, rutin and isorhamnetin-3-rutinoside. All these flavonoid compounds are powerful antioxidants.
The 17 compounds in Montmorency cherries that have antioxidant properties are considered, in total, to be superior to the activity of vitamins E and C.
What is the Antioxidant Capacity of Montmorency Cherry Products?
The ORAC (oxygen radical absorption capacity) test accurately quantifies the antioxidant capacities of foods by taking into account the fact that most natural products are a complex mix of phytochemicals of which many are antioxidants. Brunswick Labs is a leader in ORAC testing and has set the standard for the food industry. Nutritionists suggest that people should eat 3,000 to 5,000 ORAC units per day to have an impact on health.
Brunswick Laboratories, Wareham, MA, recently conducted extensive nutraceutical evaluations and ORAC testing on Montmorency cherry products. Dr. Boxin Ou, principal research scientist at Brunswick Laboratories and one of the leading scientists in the U.S. on phytochemicals in plant foods, filed these scientific notes on the evaluations.
Montmorency cherry juice concentrate has the highest ORAC values of tested fruits and vegetables. Each Montmorency cherry product registered a high ORAC value. Per 100 grams:
Montmorency cherry juice concentrate has 12,800 ORAC units
Dried Montmorency cherries have 6,800 ORAC units,
Other fruits that have been tested range from 700 to 5,700 ORAC units per 100 grams.
