The study led by researchers by the University of Michigan showed eating tart cherry rich diet lowered cholesterol and other biomarkers of inflammation linked to increased risk for heart disease. For the study, the researchers fed obese rats tart cherry rich diet for 12 weeks and found the rats had 14 percent less body fat compared to controls while lean muscle is left unchanged compared to the rats eating the same diet but without cherry powder. They also found that the rats that ate cherries lost body weight significantly, particularly belly fat that has been linked to increased risk of heart disease. The tart cherry rich diet also reduced total cholesterol in the rats by 11 percent and two known biomarkers of inflammation associated with increased risk for heart disease by 31 to 40 percent.
Since no single food group can nourish the body with all the vital ingredients it requires, it is important that we consume a variety of healthy foods to derive the nutrition our body needs. There are five main food groups, they are:
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Cereals and Pulses
• Dairy
• Poultry, Fish and Meat products
A healthy balanced diet of these five food groups ensures essential vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. The food group serving size will depend upon various factors like age, activity level, body size and gender. It is also important that one eat a variety of foods from within and across the food groups. As some foods from within a food group provide more nutrients than others.
Cherry rich diet lowered cholesterol
