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Europe: Drinking a Montmorency cherry concentrate found to lower uric acid levels in the body in a few hours, say researchers

Drinking Montmorency cherry concentrate significantly helps to reduce the effects of gout, according to new research.

Northumbria University researchers, publishing their findings in The Journal of Functional Foods in September 2014, have found that after drinking a Montmorency cherry concentrate, uric acid levels in the body significantly reduced in a few hours.

Gout occurs when excess uric acid, a naturally-occurring substance found in the body, crystallises in the joints.

The painful condition that can be debilitating for sufferers.

In the UK, gout is reported to affect one in 14 men and one in 35 women.

Research has proven Tart Montmorency cherries to be extremely rich in a number of plant compounds that possess anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Gout attacks are known to respond to anti-inflammatory medication, and anecdotal evidence from gout sufferers suggested that after ingesting Montmorency cherries, the negative effects of their condition were reduced.

Dr Glyn Howatson, a physiologist in the Department of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation at Northumbria University, and PhD student Phillip Bell were keen to test whether uric acid levels would be affected with consumption of a Montmorency cherry concentrate.

In the single blind, two-phase study, 12 healthy participants were invited to drink CherryActive’s Montmorency cherry concentrate to test how it affected the levels of uric acid in their blood and urine.

They drank either 30 ml or 60 ml of the concentrate mixed with 100 ml of water.

Blood and urine samples were taken at regular intervals following consumption of the concentrate.

Two hours after drinking the cherry concentrate, uric acid levels in urine had increased by around 250%, indicating that the body was quickly excreting uric acid.

This was reflected in blood tests, with uric acid levels in blood decreasing by around 36% eight hours after drinking the concentrate.

Unexpectedly, the findings also revealed that while the 60 ml dose of cherry concentrate increased the volumes of plant compounds within the blood, it brought no additional benefit in lowering uric acid or inflammation compared to the 30 ml dose.

“The study shows that uric acid was quickly clearing from the body with lower levels evident following consumption of the Montmorency cherry concentrate,” says Dr Howatson.

“We demonstrated a drop in blood uric acid, an increase in urinary uric acid and a reduction in an inflammation marker in just a few hours.

“This is an exciting first step to applying this intervention to a clinical population that suffer from gout. While the condition can be managed with pharmacological agents, more and more people are increasingly reluctant to use them because of potential side effects and are keen to use natural interventions.

“What is especially interesting is that only a relatively small amount of Montmorency cherry concentrate is needed to bring about the positive uric acid-lowering effects.”

Previous research at Northumbria University using CherryActive has also highlighted that consuming Montmorency cherry concentratebrings benefits relating to sleep and exercise.

Drinking the concentrate before and after intense exercise significantly enhances muscle function recovery and reduces inflammation.

The cherries were also shown to improve sleep quality and quantity due to their melatonin levels.

Melatonin is the naturally occurring hormone, which regulates sleep in humans and animals.

Story by Shirley Morgan from the Northumbria University.

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