Overview | What are tart cherries | How does tart cherry juice help treat gout? | Scientific evidence | Dosage | Side effects | Final takeaway
Overview
Gout is a very popular joint condition in Malaysia. Around 3-5% of the population is affected by gout.
Gout occurs when there is a buildup of uric acid in the body. Uric acid is only partially soluble in the water. This low solubility causes them to easily crystalise in the blood, especially when water intake is low.
We call these crystals the urate crystals, and they are normally sharp and needle-like.
Gout happens when urate crystals form and accumulate in your joints (normally the smaller joints are more easily affected), causing inflammation and intense pain.
Further reading:
Everything you need to know about gout and uric acid in Malaysia
If you have gout, you’ll probably experience painful swelling in your joints, particularly in your feet. You might have intermittent gout attacks, or flare-ups, which involve a sudden onset of pain and swelling.
Fortunately for us, there are many available treatments to help manage gout symptoms, including:
- prescription medication
- lifestyle changes
- natural complementary treatments
One popular natural treatment for gout flare-ups is tart cherry juice.
In this post, we will look at how tart cherry can help reduce gout symptoms.
What are tart cherries?
Tart cherries are also known as sour or Montmorency cherries. Unlike your normal sweet cherries, tart cherries are sour, and are normally enjoyed dried, frozen or juiced.
Tart cherry juice have become increasingly popular over the last couple of years because of its incredible health benefits. It’s found that tart cherry juice, when consumed regularly, helps to :
- improve muscle recovery after exercise
- improve sleep quality
- improve brain health
- strengthen the immune system
- reduce uric acid and prevent gout recurrence
How do tart cherries help treat gout?
Tart cherries can help relieve gout symptoms in two ways:
- Reduce the uric acid levels in the body
- Prevent inflammation of the joints
A gout attack or flare-up happens when urate crystals form and accumulate in your joints. By reducing the uric acid levels, tart cherries can help prevent the frequency of having a gout attack.
Tart cherries are also rich in anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are strong natural antioxidants and anti-inflammatory.
These strong anti-inflammatory compounds help to reduce the intensity of a gout attack, and ease the swelling associated with gout. The pain relief effect of tart cherries are almost as good as anti-inflammatory drug, Ibuprofen.
What does science say about the effectiveness of tart cherry in treating gout?
Many studies have been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of tart cherries.
One study published on the Journal of Food Studies in year 2012 found that tart cherry juice may reduce inflammation as measured by certain serum inflammatory biomarkers among women with arthritis. In this study, twenty arthritis patients were randomly assigned to consume either a tart cherry juice or a placebo cherry drink twice daily for 21 days.
Their blood samples were collected and analysed after 21 days. The analysis found that patients who consumed tart cherry juice have significantly lower inflammation markers.
(Note: Inflammatory markers are used to “mark” the inflammation levels in your body. People are more likely to be in pain from inflammation when their inflammation markers are high)
Another study published in year 2014 found that consuming tart cherries seemed to be able to help reduce uric acid levels. By reducing the levels of uric acid in the body, tart cherries can help reduce the frequency at which gout attack/flare-ups happen.
And that’s actually what was found out in the next two studies.
In the first study, 633 gout patients were recruited and were asked to consume fresh cherries or cherry juice extract. It was found that taking cherries is associated with 35% lower risk of gout attacks. When combined with allopurinol ( a medication used to lower uric acid), the risk of gout attacks was 75% lower.
The second study also found similar findings: People who consumed cherry extract or juice had significantly lower gout flares.
How much should you take?
Unfortunately, scientists are yet to find a standard dosage for the amount of tart cherries you should consume a day to help with your gout symptoms.
Most of the studies conducted around tart cherries gave the participants two daily doses of 240ml per day. This is roughly equivalent to consuming around 200 tart cherries a day or 480mg a day.
Also most studies started observing positive benefits after 7-10 days of supplementing.
Are there any potential side effects?
Tart cherries are considered very safe unless if you are allergic to cherries. One possible side effect is that the juice contains a high amount of sorbitol – which is a type of laxative that can cause stomach ache and diarrhea.
But if you are taking only a moderate amount of tart cherries, it’s highly unlikely that you will get diarrhea from them.
Also, tart cherry juice contains a chemical compound called quercetin. This compound might interact with certain medications, particularly blood thinning medications. So if you are on blood thinning medications, be sure to consult a doctor before you start a tart cherry supplement.
The Takeaway
Tart cherries offer a number of health benefits and based on the studies conducted, it’s by far the most effective supplement for gout.
It works by reducing inflammation and by reducing the body uric acid levels. In other words, it help to improve both the cause of gout and the symptoms of gout.
