Tart Cherries May Someday Help People At Risk For Diabetes, Heart Disease

New research from the University of Michigan finds that eating tart cherries provides cardiovascular benefits similar to those of prescription fat and glucose regulation drugs, and may also reduce the risk of stroke, even when eaten with the drugs. According to the researchers, Montmorency tart cherries activate certain receptors in many body tissues. Researchers believe that anthocyanins – the pigments that give the fruit its red color – could be responsible for this activation. The research shows that rats who ate only tart cherries had the best results, but those who ingested a combination of tart cherries and the drug  Actos also did better than those who only took the drug.