Does Tart Cherry Juice Really Have Health Benefits?

Vicky writes:

“I'd like to hear your take on drinking tart cherry juice. I've heard many times that it reduces inflammation. I have arthritis, and although I don’t have any pain or take any medications for it, reducing inflammation seems like a good idea. I started drinking about a cup a day, but quit when I read the label and realized how much sugar it had. Is it worth all the sugar to get the health benefits?”

Tart (or sour) cherry juice has developed quite a reputation as an arthritis cure, anti-inflammatory agent, and even a natural sleeping aid. And there is some research to review. But first, a few basics.

What’s the Difference Between Sweet and Tart Cherries? 

There are couple of varieties of cherries sold as tart or sour cherries but Montmorency is the most common. They are lighter in color—bright red rather than the dark purple of Bing cherries, which are the most common type of sweet cherry. Tart cherries are also, as the name suggests, somewhat lower in sugar.  

A cup of sweet cherries contains about 90 calories and 18 grams of natural sugar. A cup of tart cherries provides just 50 calories and about 10 grams of sugar. But tart cherries are generally too tart to eat out of hand. You’re more likely to find them canned in heavy syrup, or in the juice aisle, next to the cranberry or pomegranate juice. And lately, thanks to their growing reputation as a health food, tart cherry extracts and powders are also showing up in the supplement aisle. 

A cup of tart cherries provides just 50 calories and about 10 grams of sugar. But tart cherries are generally too tart to eat out of hand.

Even though it’s tart enough to put a pucker on your puss, 8 ounces ( 240 mL) of unsweetened tart cherry juice still contains about 30 grams of sugar. And, like any fruit juice, cherry juice retains many of the nutrients but does not contain the fiber you’d get from eating whole fruit. 

What’s in Tart Cherries?

Cherries, both sweet and tart, contain a variety of antioxidant compounds,...

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