Eating about 1½ cups a day of tart cherries can reduce your tendency to put on belly fat—a risk factor for type 2 diabetes—and reduce inflammation that can lead to blood vessel damage and heart disease.

The tart cherries contain high amounts of anthocyanins, antioxidant compounds that are responsible for the dark pigment of these and other berries.

Anthocyanins can lower blood levels of two inflammation-triggering biochemicals, TNF-alpha and interleukin-6. High levels of these two increase your risk of developing any number of diseases, including type 2 diabetes and cancer.

Anthocyanins also help to lower body weight, fat mass, total cholesterol and triglycerides. So make cherries your top choice to avoid diabetes and heart disease.

The findings were presented at the Experimental Biology 2008 meeting in California, by a team from the University of Michigan Cardioprotection Research Laboratory.

The Anti-Aging Bottom Line: Belly fat is associated with metabolic syndrome, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Tart cherries can be a delicious way to fight the tendency to gain belly fat as we age.

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Written exclusively for Stop Aging Now, the authority on anti-aging research, anti-aging nutrition, and anti-aging supplements.