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Experts recommend the antioxidant melatonin as one way to help regulate the body’s sleep-wake cycle. Produced naturally by the body in small amounts, melatonin plays a role in inducing sleepiness at night and wakefulness during the day. Recent studies have revealed that frozen tart cherries – “America’s Super Fruit” – are one of the few known researched food sources of melatonin. Russel J. Reiter, Ph.D, a nutrition researcher at the University of Texas Health Science Center and one of the world’s leading authorities on melatonin, says while melatonin supplement pills have been heavily promoted as a sleep aid, foods such as cherries may be a better alternative for boosting the body’s own supply of melatonin. “When eaten regularly, tart cherries may help regulate the body’s natural sleep cycle and increase sleep efficiency, including decreasing the time it takes to fall asleep,” says Reiter. “And, because cherries are so rich in other antioxidants, such as anthocyanins, you get other important health benefits.” Melatonin may also be helpful for treating jet lag for international travelers, for new parents who are up all night and for late-shift workers trying to adjust to a new schedule. Increasing melatonin also has been shown to help with sleep-onset insomnia in older adults with a melatonin deficiency. The Power of Cherries Instead of sourcing exotic berries from halfway around the world, Americans can find powerful antioxidants in “America’s Super Fruit,” cherries. Nearly all (94 percent) cherries consumed in the U.S. are grown here and available in a variety of products and applications, making it easy to enjoy the fruit year-round. Cherries may also offer a variety of homegrown preventive health benefits. In addition to melatonin, cherries contain powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins – which provide the distinctive red color of the fruit and may hold the key to many of its health-promoting qualities. Research suggests that these disease-fighting compounds possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging and anti-carcinogenic properties. Recent studies from the University of Michigan revealed that cherry-enriched diets in animals lowered multiple risk factors for heart disease. In 2007, researchers found that cherry-enriched diets in animals lowered total blood cholesterol levels and reduced triglycerides (fatty acids). And, in 2008, the University of Michigan researchers found animals fed a cherry-enriched diet saw reduced total body weight and fat by 14 percent, in particular the “belly fat” that is most often associated with heart disease risk. To learn more about the health benefits of cherries and to find recipes and tips, visit www.choosecherries.com. www.HealthNewsDigest.com Top of Page 
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