


4 Recall that there are a million nanograms in a milligram, so a kilogram of cherries would contain 13,000 nanograms or 0.013 mg of melatonin.

3Ĭherries, in particular the Montmorency variety, contain melatonin-about 13 nanograms of melatonin per gram of cherry. 2 It may be that the reduction in oxidative stress, rather than the melatonin, is what improves sleep. There were significant increases in antioxidant capacity of the urine. Garrido et al reported that consumption of Spanish sweet cherries grown in the Jerte Valley produced beneficial effects on actual sleep time, total nocturnal activity, assumed sleep, and immobility. The benefits were modest but were, as the authors point out, “equal to or exceeding those observed in studies of valerian and in some, but not all, studies of melatonin, the 2 most studied natural products for insomnia.” 1Ī second paper on cherries and sleep in older adults was published in September 2010. No improvements were observed with the placebo. When compared to placebo, cherry juice produced significant reductions in insomnia severity (minutes awake after sleep onset). Responding to anecdotal reports that cherry juice was useful, a randomized, double-blind, crossover study was conducted with each of 15 participants receiving both treatment and a placebo for a 2-week period with an intervening 2-week washout period. In June 2010 Pigeon et al from the University of Rochester in New York reported that tart cherry juice was useful in treating insomnia in older adults.
#Cherry juice melatonin series
This is the latest in a series of studies that provide growing evidence toward this conclusion. These data expressed by Howatson et al suggest that consumption of tart cherry juice concentrate provides an increase in exogenous melatonin that is beneficial in improving sleep duration and might be of benefit in managing disturbed sleep. No difference was seen in timing of the melatonin circadian rhythm, though there was a trend to a higher mesor and amplitude. There were significant increases in time in bed, total sleep time, and sleep efficiency total ( P<0.05) with cherry juice supplementation. No differences were evident between baseline and endpoint in the placebo arm of the study. Total melatonin content was significantly elevated ( P<0.05) in the cherry juice group.
#Cherry juice melatonin trial
Trial differences were determined using a repeated measures ANOVA. In addition, total urinary melatonin content was determined over the entire sample period, before and after intervention. The melatonin metabolite, urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (major metabolite of melatonin) was determined in the urine samples. After a 14-day washout period, the groups crossed over and repeated the experiment. Sequential urine samples were collected for 48 hours before beginning the interventions and again for the 2 days after supplementation with juice or placebo.

Measures of sleep quality recorded by actigraphy, and participants completed subjective sleep questionnaires. The placebo group drank a commercially available fruit beverage containing less than 5% fruit and no melatonin or anthocyanins. Each dose contained approximately 42.6 mcg melatonin, so participants received 85.2 mcg/day of exogenous melatonin during the study. Each serving was made from 30 ml of juice concentrate (estimated to contain the equivalent of approximately 90–100 cherries) and diluted with approximately 200 ml of water. Study Medication and Dosageĭiluted concentrates of tart Montmorency cherry juice ( Prunus cerasus) were consumed 30 minutes after waking and 30 minutes before the evening meal. Twenty healthy, physically active men and women (10 each gender), without disease or lifestyle that might impact results. Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design Participants Effect of tart cherry juice ( Prunus cerasus) on melatonin levels and enhanced sleep quality.
