A concentrated form of cherry juice could help relieve the symptoms of bowel disease, a new study has found.
Researchers found that just two glasses a day of Montmorency cherry juice can slash stomach cramps and diarrhoea in ulcerative colitis sufferers.
Scientists from the University of Hertfordshire and Central Lancashire gave patients the drink for six weeks alongside standard bowel disease medical treatment.
Participants reported a 9 per cent improvement in health-related quality of life when taking the fruit drink supplement.
They also reported a 40 per cent reduction in ulcers in the colon. Experts say the drink could benefit bowel disease patients, but warn that it could be prohibitively expensive.
A bottle of Montmorency cherry juice, which contains around two days worth of the drink, costs £14.
Consuming two glasses of Montmorency cherry juice (pictured) a day can reduce stomach cramps and diarrhoea in ulcerative colitis sufferers, a study has found
Nearly 300,000 people in the UK suffer from ulcerative colitis. While it cannot be cured, there are a number of drugs which manage the symptoms (file photo)
Nearly 300,000 people in the UK have ulcerative colitis. The lifelong condition is thought to be triggered when the immune system begins to attack the gut.Â
There are a number of effective drugs which can manage symptoms, but it cannot be cured.
Professor Lindsay Bottoms co-author of the study from the University of Hertfordshire said: ‘While cherry juice cannot replace medicine, our findings offer hope that it could be used alongside pharmaceutical treatments to help improve a patient’s quality of life and reduce symptoms and, possibly, even help in delaying further intensive medical treatment or surgery.’
