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Cherry For Diabetes - 

An apple a day can keep the doctor away, but recent research suggests that a cherry a day can keep diabetes away.  There is a deep relationship between cherry fruit and diabetes. Both the sweet as well as the tart version of the fruit contain insulin boosting chemicals, which can control blood sugar and lower blood glucose levels quickly.

So how are cherry fruit and diabetes related? Active chemicals, also known as anthocyanins, are usually most well-known for their antioxidant properties and their ability to reduce the risk of developing heart disease. However, these are pigmented chemicals found in cherries are also the reason why tart cherries and diabetes are interconnected.

Sour cherries

While all fruits can raise blood sugar levels, but some have a lower GI score — like sour cherries. Sour cherries have a chemical called anthocyanins. Studies have produced experimental evidence that anthocyanins may protect against diabetes and obesity.

  

 Tart cherries, like most red fruits and vegetables, are loaded with important nutrients and it has a boatload of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents as well. Tart cherry juice is beneficial for cancer prevention, heart health, as an anti-inflammatory agent.

   The juice contains one of the most powerful antioxidants that exists, quercetin. Among other functions, quercetin prevents oxidative damage caused by free radicals from damaging low-density lipoprotein (LDL or bad cholesterol). It also works as an anti-inflammatory agent.

Vitamins A and C

Tart cherry juice offers a significant nutritional advantage over unsweetened cranberry juice when it comes to vitamin A, and a slight advantage when it comes to vitamin C. Vitamin A keeps your eyes functioning properly to support healthy vision and plays a role in cell differentiation -- the development of immature cells into functional tissue. Vitamin C also aids in tissue growth -- it helps you produce collagen, a protein responsible for holding your tissues together. A serving of tart cherry juice contains 3,520 international units of vitamin A, or more than the entire daily requirement for men and women, set by the Institute of Medicine. Tart cherry juice also offers 27 milligrams of vitamin C per cup -- 30 percent of the recommended daily intake for men and 36 percent for women. Unsweetened cranberry juice provides 24 milligrams of vitamin C per 1-cup serving and contains just 114 international units of vitamin A.

Vitamin K

Unsweetened cranberry juice serves as a superior source of vitamin K, a fat-soluble nutrient important for healthy blood. Each 1-cup serving of unsweetened cranberry juice provides you with 13 micrograms of vitamin K -- 14 percent of the recommended daily intake for women and 10 percent for men, according to the Institute of Medicine, while a serving of tart cherry juice contains just 6 micrograms. Vitamin K controls the thickness of your blood so that you don't experience excessive bleeding, such as easy bruising, bleeding gums and nosebleeds. It might also have additional benefits, such as a lower risk of bone fractures, explains the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Copper

Reach for tart cherry juice over unsweetened cranberry juice as a source of copper. Copper helps you synthesize melanin -- a pigment found in your skin -- and it also boosts collagen production to strengthen your bone tissue. A 1-cup serving of unsweetened cranberry juice contains 139 micrograms of copper, or 15 percent of the recommended daily intake established by the Institute of Medicine. An equivalent serving of tart cherry juice contains more than twice as much copper -- 285 micrograms, or 32 percent of the recommended daily intake.