Cherries Can Cause Cancer Cells to Kill Themselves: Fact Check

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Cherries can cause cancer cells to kill themselves.

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Cherries can actually cause cancer cells to commit suicide.

Fact Check:

These are the messages that call Cherries as a super food, claiming that they can actually cause Cancer cells to commit suicide. The claims are mixture of hoax and facts.

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What’s in Cherries?

Cherries contain many phytochemicals and nutrients contributing to its color and antioxidant activity, most of which are well studied in the laboratory. Both sweet and tart cherries are a good source of dietary fiber and vitamin C, and also contain Potassium. Tart cherries are also an excellent source of vitamin A. The dark red color of cherries comes from their high content of a special class of flavonoids called Anthocyanins, which are powerful antioxidants. The Hydroxycinnamic acid and perillyl alcohol contents in cherries also add to its antioxidant power.

Cherries Health Benefits

Cherries have antiviral and antibacterial properties, and because of the aforementioned phytochemicals and nutrients, they do have certain significant health benefits.

Can Cherries Kill Cancer Cells?

In laboratory studies, the anthocyanins in Cherries are seen to inhibit the growth of cancer cells and stimulate their self-destruction, without affecting the healthy cells. Lab studies have also shown that the dietary fiber in cherries reduces cells’ exposure to cancer-causing substances, and healthy gut bacteria use the dietary fiber to produce short-chain fatty acids that protect colon cells from cancer. Researchers have suggested that anthocyanins in cherries may reduce your risk of colon cancer, and that cherries may shut down the growth of cancer cells by depriving them of the proteins they need to grow. However, we need more research to validate the impact of cherry consumption, in particular on cancer risk in humans. And as it may suggest, cherries may not be helpful in all types of cancers.

Relieving Pain and Inflammation

Strong evidence from several studies has revealed that the anthocyanin compounds in Cherries offer powerful relief against pain and inflammation, with their strong antioxidant effects that counter oxidative stress following an inflammatory insult.

Apart from these benefits, the powerful antioxidant properties of cherries provide neuroprotective and immune-modulating effects, and are thought to fight insomnia and slow down aging process.

Having said all that, it would be overstating to call Cherries as a miracle super food that can protect you against all diseases. There’s nothing like a miracle fruit that cures everything; for good health, we humans need a balanced diet that provides all vital nutrients.

Choose Healthy Cherries

Considering the aforementioned health benefits, consuming cherries on a regular basis is a good idea. When purchasing fresh cherries, select firm, glossy and plump ones with stems attached. Note, cherries remain fresh and healthy at room temperature for a very short time. For longer periods, we should refrigerate or freeze them. When refrigerated in a plastic bag, cherries will stay fresh for 3–5 days, or even up to two weeks. Frozen cherries can store for up to a year. Even the canned cherries available in the market have a shelf life of up to a year.

However, note the Maraschino Cherries we generally use in our drinks and desserts are not a variety of cherry. Their name comes from their manufacturing process for preservation. The maraschino cherries are first soaked in a salt brine to remove its natural color and flavoring. Then they are pitted and soaked in a sweetener for around a month. Finally, they go dip in artificial colors to get the modern maraschino brilliant red color. Apart from these, one should be wary of those processed and packaged brightly colored cherries sold in some bakeries. They are chemically treated with harmful coloring agents. The food coloring Red #3 widely used in baking, lending artificial color to cherries, is known to induce thyroid tumors in rats. So whenever you are buying such cherries, make sure to check the safety of coloring agent used.