A Raid by Federal Agents
If you own a cherry orchard, don't be surprised when heavily armed federal agents wearing bullet proof vests and riot gear raid your farmhouse.
An Unapproved Drug
The FastFruit Company in Traverse City Michigan makes concentrated cherry juice, extracts and gelcaps. Along with 29 other fruit companies, Fast Fruit received warning letters from the FDA ordering them to stop mentioning any health benefits of cherries, otherwise the FDA would pursue criminal prosecution for marketing an unapproved drug, the cherry. Excuse me, but could we please have a small dose of sanity introduced here? If the cherry is a new drug, then Vladimir Putin is Mickey Mouse.
Above Image: Vestal Virgin with Cherries, by Sir Frederic Leighton, 1880. Courtesy Wikipedia.
Health Benefits of Cherries
Tart cherries are used for conditions involving inflammation and pain, such as: arthritis, gout, muscle pain, back pain, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Are Cherries Effective?
Based on personal experience consuming cherries, I can confidently say, yes they are effective. They are as effective as many over the counter anti-inflammatory drugs, without the side effects. There is considerable research regarding the health benefits of tart cherry anthocyanins in the medical and science literature. (see references below).
Peruvian Tea Will Perk You Up
The reality is that many foods have health benefits, and like cherries, certain foods have pharmacological activity. The list is a long one. For example, while vacationing in Peru, you can enjoy a cup of local tea, Mate de Coca, made from cocaine leaves. This is perfectly legal, being part of their culture, and relieves a long list of ailments. I wouldn't recommend bringing this back on the plane, though. You might have trouble with the border police.
Why Am I Free to Discuss the Health Benefits of Cherries, and Fast Fruit Cannot?
Freedom of speech is a personal liberty protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution. You might ask the question, why isn't Fast Fruit's Freedom of Speech also protected by the First Amendment? Good question. When you figure it out, let me know.
Personal or Commercial Speech ?
One might suggest that personal speech is more protected than commercial speech. This is true for false and deceitful product advertising which is harmful to the public and should not be allowed. However, speech involving truthful information in the scientific literature (see references below) by cherry farmers is an entirely different matter and should be protected by the first amendment of the constitution. The American Public has a right to know truthful information about the health benefits of cherries, or anything else for that matter.
Why is the FDA Acting to Suppress Truthful Information About The Anti-Inflammatory Benefits of Cherries?
The FDA does not serve the interests of the people. The FDA serves the interests of their corporate masters, the pharmaceutical industry. Suppression of truthful information about cherries and natural non-patented substances is essential for maintaining profits for drugs which have less efficacy and greater adverse side effects than their natural counterparts.
Read More Here: FDA Roadblocks Revolution in Nutrition
Financial Disclosure: I have no financial interest in any cherry trees, cherry orchards, cherry juice, cherry extract, cherry products, cherry companies, or books on cherries.
Jeffrey Dach MD
References
http://www.prweb.com/releases/cherry_supplements/cherry_juice/prweb560271.htm
FruitFast® Introduces Potent Liquid Fruit Supplement -- a Single Teaspoon Equals Antioxidant Equivalent of 4 Glasses of Cherry Juice
FruitFast makes whole fruit goodness available year round in condensed liquid form. CherryFlex Liquid's proprietary process includes the fruit's skin and pulp to ensure 100 mg of antioxidants in every spoonful. This is another one of our all-natural products designed to deliver the power of fruit . This is one hundred percent fruit .
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/chrylist.html
List of Firms Receiving Warning Letters Regarding Cherry and other Fruit-Based Products with Disease Claims in Labeling
CFSAN/Office of Compliance October 17, 2005
http://www.naturalnews.com/022233.html
30-Day Supply of Cherry Concentrate Supplements for Every NaturalNews Reader in the U.S.
Meanwhile, the FDA allows cereals to claim they're good for the heart just because they contain a certain ingredient, although they also contain 19 grams of sugar per serving. It allows manufacturers to say that whole-grain Oreos are healthy, although the calories are astronomical and they really have no nutritional value.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15219719
Behav Brain Res. 2004 Aug 12;153(1):181-8. Links
Tart cherry anthocyanins suppress inflammation-induced pain behavior in rat.Tall JM, Seeram NP, Zhao C, Nair MG, Meyer RA, Raja SN.
Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, 600 North Wolfe Street, Osler 292, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
These data suggest that tart cherry anthocyanins may have a beneficial role in the treatment of inflammatory pain. The antihyperalgesic effects may be related to the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of anthocyanins.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10075763?ordinalpos=15&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
J Nat Prod. 1999 Feb;62(2):294-6.
Antioxidant and antiinflammatory activities of anthocyanins and their aglycon, cyanidin, from tart cherries.Wang H, Nair MG, Strasburg GM, Chang YC, Booren AM, Gray JI, DeWitt DL.
https://www.msu.edu/~cppt/Faculty/Nair/Tart%20cherry%20jnp-2.pdf
Anthocyanin and Cyanidin Activity Journal of Natural Products, 1999, Vol. 62, No. 2 295
Our experiments with anthocyanins and cyanidin, isolated
from tart cherries, indicate that they possess antioxidant
activity comparable to commercial antioxidants.
Similarly, cyanidin showed better antiinflammatory activity
than aspirin in the inflammatory assays. The antioxidant
and antiinflammatory properties of anthocyanins and consumption of cherries may have the potential to reduce cardiovascular or chronic diseases in humans.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/sardi/sardi72.html
The FDA Has Blood on Its Hands by Bill Sardi
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/completeazindex/a/tart_cherry.htm
Tart cherries are used for conditions involving inflammation and pain, such as: arthritis gout muscle pain back pain diabetes neurodegenerative diseases . Both sweet and tart cherries contain phenolics, naturally-occurring plant compounds that have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant effects. The main type of phenolic in cherries is called anthocyanins. In general, the darker the cherry color, the higher the anthocyanin content.
Anthocyanins have been found to block two enzymes, COX-1 and COX-2, which play a role in the production of inflammatory compounds called prostaglandins. Aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as naproxen and ibuprofen also work this way.
In test tube studies, cherry anthocyanins have been found to protect neurons from damage by oxidative stress. However, there have been no studies that have looked at whether cherry extracts could prevent or slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease in humans.
Both Balaton and Montmorency tart cherries contain relatively high levels of the antioxidant melatonin compared to other foods. Montmorency cherries contain approximately 6 times more melatonin than do Balaton cherries.
Burkhardt S et al. "Detection and quantification of the antioxidant melatonin in Montmorency and Balaton tart cherries (Prunus cerasus)." Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 49.10 (2001):4898-902.
Connolly D et al. "The efficacy of a tart cherry juice blend in preventing the symptoms of muscle damage." British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2006 Jun 21.
Jacob RA et al. "Consumption of cherries lowers plasma urate in healthy women." Journal of Nutrition. 133.6 (2003):1826-9.
Kang SY et al. "Tart cherry anthocyanins inhibit tumor development in Apc(Min) mice and reduce proliferation of human colon cancer cells." Cancer Letters. 194.1 (2003):13-9.
Kim DO et al. "Sweet and sour cherry phenolics and their protective effects on neuronal cells." Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 53.26 (2005):9921-7.
Seeram NP et al. "Degradation products of cyanidin glycosides from tart cherries and their bioactivities." Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 49.10 (2001):4924-9.
Tall Jill M et al. "Tart cherry anthocyanins suppress inflammation-induced pain behavior in rat." Behavioural Brain Research. 153.1 (2004): 181-8.
The anthocyanins (1-3) and cyanidin isolated from tart cherries exhibited The anthocyanins (1-3) and cyanidin isolated from tart cherries exhibited in vitro antioxidant and antiinflammatory activities comparable to commercial products.
Kang SY, Seeram NP, Nair MG, Bourquin LD. Tart cherry anthocyanins inhibit tumor development in Apc(Min) mice and reduce proliferation of human colon cancer cells. Cancer Lett. 2003 May 8;194(1):13-9.
Tall JM, Seeram NP, Zhao C, et al. Tart cherry anthocyanins suppress inflammation-induced pain behavior in rat. Behav Brain Res. 2004 Aug 12;153(1):181-8.
Wang H, Nair MG, Strasburg GM, et al. Cyclooxygenase active bioflavonoids from Balaton tart cherry and their structure activity relationships. Phytomedicine. 2000 Mar;7(1):15-9.
Seeram NP, Momin RA, Nair MG, Bourquin LD. Cyclooxygenase inhibitory and antioxidant cyanidin glycosides in cherries and berries. Phytomedicine. 2001 Sep;8(5):362-9.
Wang H, Nair MG, Strasburg GM, et al. Antioxidant and antiinflammatory activities of anthocyanins and their aglycon, cyanidin, from tart cherries. J Nat Prod. 1999 Feb;62(2):294-6.
Kolayli S, Kucuk M, Duran C, Candan F, Dincer B. Chemical and antioxidant properties of Laurocerasus officinalis Roem. (cherry laurel) fruit grown in the Black Sea region. J Agric Food Chem. 2003 Dec 3;51(25):7489-94.
Wakabayashi H, Fukushima H, Yamada T, et al. Inhibition of LPS-stimulated NO production in mouse macrophage-like cells by Barbados cherry, a fruit of Malpighia emarginata DC. Anticancer Res. 2003 Jul;23(4):3237-41.
Nagamine I, Akiyama T, Kainuma M, et al. Effect of acerola cherry extract on cell proliferation and activation of ras signal pathway at the promotion stage of lung tumorigenesis in mice. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2002 Feb;48(1):69-72.
Jacob RA, Spinozzi GM, Simon VA, et al. Consumption of cherries lowers plasma urate in healthy women. J Nutr. 2003 Jun;133(6):1826-9.
Rimm EB, Katan MB, Ascherio A, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC. Relation between intake of flavonoids and risk for coronary heart disease in male health professionals. Ann Intern Med. 1996 Sep 1;125(5):384-9.
Burkhardt S, Tan DX, Manchester LC, Hardeland R, Reiter RJ. Detection and quantification of the antioxidant melatonin in Montmorency and Balaton tart cherries (Prunus cerasus). J Agric Food Chem. 2001 Oct;49(10):4898-902.
Blando F, Gerardi C, Nicoletti I. Sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L) anthocyanins as ingredients for functional foods. J Biomed Biotechnol. 2004;2004(5):253-8.
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Comments
BBE - Freedom is a fragile thing that is easily lost. For Freedom to survive it must be maintained by each free indiviual. When the individual no longer fights for their own individual freedoms, the natural course of events is the erosion and disappearance of freedom in society.
http://open.salon.com/content.php?cid=67520
There is a big difference between cherries having anti inflamatory and anti oxidant effects in the lab and cherries being effective in treating a specific disease. Can you point to any randomized contolled trials that show that cherries are more effective in treating a disease than a placebo?
Cherry Juice May Prevent Muscle Damage Pain
Main Category: Sports Medicine
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/45846.php
This is strange, is seems the other "Resident" around here omits this sort of thing almost completely. This is definitely suspicious. Are you sure you're a DR?
Thank you for responding to my concerns about your post. The study that you cited (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/45846.php) was of only 14 male college students. Do you think the findings of such a small study could be generalized to the entire population? Further, the chief investigator summarizes his findings as "Current anecdotal evidence suggests the drink may be effective in treatment of arthritis and gout, and thus offer a potentially safer alternative than prescription drugs."
Thus, there is some suggestive evidence that cherries may be effective in treating arthritis and gout in a very limited population, college aged males. The author, wisely, does not say the results of the study prove that cherries are effective in treating arthritis and gout. He is obviously very aware of the problems of extrapolating the results of a very small and limited study into a proven health benefit for the general public.
Most pragmatically, when one thinks of the cost of cherry juice, it is likely far cheaper to treat arthritis and gout with ibuprofen. And if you counter that there are numerous potential side effects concerning the use of ibuprofen, the small size of the sample in the study you cited would be far too small to measure all of the potential side effects of regular use of two 12 ounce bottles of cherry juice every day in a large population. I conjecture that diarrhea and elevated blood sugar might be untoward effects that would appear in many users following such a regimen.
If the FastFruit Company is using the evidence of this and similar small studies as the basis of their labeling that cherry juice has health benefits, they are engaged in deception and the FDA has a responsibility to demand that they change their labeling.
Fact is, the FDA does not want farmers or food producers attaching health claims to naturally grown food products because Big Pharma can't patent food products and patents are where the real money is.
Thumbed!
It's only been in the past year that I heard they were suspected of having these properties, so placebo wasn't a factor for me.
I eat the cherries, my thumbs work. I don't eat the cherries, my thumbs stop being opposable. It's just that simple.
(thumbified thanks to Chilean summer and frozen fruit)
The growers should just decide that the fruit isn't food, but is a "nutritional supplement" and as long as they supply the correct legalistic weasel words, they can probably claim whatever they want.
Koakuma
Koakuma: Quite Right, Money is power. Just ask Blogojevich. JD
Well, hell, they've outlawed at least a couple of other plants I can think of. Why not cherries? There's no commercial upside, is there? Now, if they would only declare cherries a controlled substance, they could jack up prices... Verbal Remedy
VR: Funny I was thinking the same thing. JD
I ate cherries once and it made Jeremy Piven get mercury poisoning! The FDA should investigate! Umbrellakinesis
Umbie: Do I detect a note of sarcasm? JD
Why stop at muscle pain? Why not let them say that cherries MAY cure cancer? Or eliminate HIV from your body? Why not claim that cherries may in fact cause you to fly off the tops of tall buildings at will? Might it be because none these things are actually proven? The study you link to shows no definitive causative relationship. While I'm sure you have a great case of the ass hats at the current incarnation of the FDA (which should start changing on Jan 20th, by all indication) making it tougher for non-patentable treatments to get approval, I don't think you have a real good freedom of speech issue here. Unless of course you think that people should be able to claim that that whatever product they happen to be seeing might do just about anything they claim. If that's the case, I've got some crap I grew in my back yard that may cure whatever it is that troubles you. Step right up! NerdMafia
NerdM: The FDA might get interested in that green growth in the back yard. Don't worry we won't tell. JD
I noticed you've included with your post comprehensive documentation and footnoting. This is strange, is seems the other "Resident" around here omits this sort of thing almost completely. This is definitely suspicious. Are you sure you're a DR? Roy Hobbs
Roy – Good point. I will eliminate the references from now on. JD
Jeffery,Thank you for responding to my concerns about your post. The study that you cited (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/45846.php) was of only 14 male college students. Do you think the findings of such a small study could be generalized to the entire population? Further, the chief investigator summarizes his findings as "Current anecdotal evidence suggests the drink may be effective in treatment of arthritis and gout, and thus offer a potentially safer alternative than prescription drugs." Thus, there is some suggestive evidence that cherries may be effective in treating arthritis and gout in a very limited population, college aged males. The author, wisely, does not say the results of the study prove that cherries are effective in treating arthritis and gout. He is obviously very aware of the problems of extrapolating the results of a very small and limited study into a proven health benefit for the general public. Most pragmatically, when one thinks of the cost of cherry juice, it is likely far cheaper to treat arthritis and gout with ibuprofen. And if you counter that there are numerous potential side effects concerning the use of ibuprofen, the small size of the sample in the study you cited would be far too small to measure all of the potential side effects of regular use of two 12 ounce bottles of cherry juice every day in a large population. I conjecture that diarrhea and elevated blood sugar might be untoward effects that would appear in many users following such a regimen.
If the FastFruit Company is using the evidence of this and similar small studies as the basis of their labeling that cherry juice has health benefits, they are engaged in deception and the FDA has a responsibility to demand that they change their labeling. Mikek
Mikek – Here’s a question I have for you. Why is it that the FDA approved GMO food without any safety testing or labeling, and yet persecutes cherry farmers? JD
It seems to me that there are quite a few medical studies going on now with regard to berries and their antioxidant properties. I'm guessing that if it pans out, extracts will be condensed and given as tablets or lozenges rather than consuming mass quantities of juice. Buckeyedoc
Buckeyedoc-thanks for the comment.JD
Oranges cure scurvy. OMG. But don't tell anyone, because it's against the law to say that. Fact is, the FDA does not want farmers or food producers attaching health claims to naturally grown food products because Big Pharma can't patent food products and patents are where the real money is. Thumbed! the ranting boomer
Ranting Boomer – You hit the nail on the head. It’s all about corporate profit, and the FDA is merely serving their masters, the Pharmaceutical Industry that pays their salaries. JD
I personally have a lovely blend of inherited arthritis and occupational hand pain (12 years of playing woodwinds). I never knew cherries did this, but I knew that I would get better in mid-summer and December. Strangely enough, this is when the cherries come out, which I partake of copiously. It's only been in the past year that I heard they were suspected of having these properties, so placebo wasn't a factor for me. I eat the cherries, my thumbs work. I don't eat the cherries, my thumbs stop being opposable. It's just that simple. (thumbified thanks to Chilean summer and frozen fruit) Jodi Kasten
Jodi – Thanks for the testimonial that cherries are useful as an anti-inflammatory agent.JD
I eat cherries and I don't have arthritis. Are those two facts related? I don't know, nor do I much care, I eat 'em because I like the way they taste (even the tart ones). Any health benefits, even if as a result of the placebo effect, are just great (Note that I did not say it would be the cherry on top). But I do note that the sweet ones play merry hell with my blood glucose levels. I kid myself that the vitamins and minerals make up for that.
The growers should just decide that the fruit isn't food, but is a "nutritional supplement" and as long as they supply the correct legalistic weasel words, they can probably claim whatever they want. John Leonard
John – thanks for the comment.JD
Rated!
As to cherries, the FDA has done a miserable job lately of regulating legal drugs - which are financed by big money. Interesting that they are now going after the alternatives which might lower big money's profit.
I do believe however that many of the advertisements for legal or alternative meds are not truthful. Weight loss, potency and anti-aging seem to attract the most charlatans.
trish
trish
All kidding aside - there are so many supplements that don't get busted, my question is why? Did they forget their FDA disclaimer on the packaging?
rated
When I was in my 20s I did use supplements, but gradually gave them up, and now (in my 50s), I'm reluctant to take any, because too often I have had undesirable reactions. Even to Vitamin C, which can be rough on the stomach (for some of us).
[Fwiw, I have excellent cholesterol numbers (144, 50, 83), without benefit of either statins or fish oils. However, I do consume significant quantities of both shell fish and sardines, along with the occasional tuna salad or piece of salmon. And I try to avoid grain-fed beef.]
As for cherries, I'm ready to accept most of the health claims for them in their whole food version, but more skeptical about them once they've been altered, extracted, etc. Once a company starts trying to isolate the "silver bullet" in any one food, they are messing around with any synergy that occurs with the other nutrients it contains, some of which we might not even be aware of, and which might play an important role of their own.
I just went through a bag of cherries myself this week. My gut said I needed them. They were delicious with some plain (coconut milk) yogurt.
Just don't get me started on GMOs... (I have some food intolerances, and I can't see any good coming from a carte blance approach to GMOs.)
In case anyone is interested, I have posted a call for volunteers to have a formal debate about cherry juice. The post is here: http://open.salon.com/content.php?cid=69833