Lansing, MI—Montmorency tart cherries can help reduce systolic blood pressure, insulin levels and insulin concentrations in adults with metabolic syndrome, according to a pilot studypublished in the Journal of Functional Foods.

The study was performed on eleven individuals with metabolic syndrome. They consumed either tart cherry juice, a tart cherry capsule, or a placebo on different occasions. Blood-based and functional cardio-metabolic biomarkers were measured before ingesting the supplement and for up to five hours post-ingestion.

The study found that both the juice and the capsule significantly reduced both systolic blood pressure and insulin when compared to the placebo, and that there was no significant difference between the capsule and the juice.

A press release on the study notes that this is the first study to examine the full spectrum of conditions that make up metabolic syndrome, which affects nearly 35% of U.S. adults and significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes.

Terun Desai, lead author of the study, from the School of Life and Medical Sciences at the University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield, UK, said in the release: “Our most noteworthy cardiovascular response observed in the study was the significant reduction in systolic blood pressure for the first two hours after consumption. The unique composition of tart cherries, including the synergistic influence of anthocyanins, other polyphenols, and fiber may be a factor.”