Cherries can lower blood pressure, particularly tart varieties. In one clinical trial, older adults who drank tart cherry juice daily saw their systolic blood pressure drop by 5.7 mmHg over 12 weeks, enough to move their average reading from the hypertensive range (141 mmHg) down to 136 mmHg. The effect isn’t dramatic, but it’s meaningful, roughly comparable to what some people achieve through other individual lifestyle changes like reducing sodium.
How Cherries Affect Blood Vessels
Cherries are rich in polyphenols, a broad family of plant compounds that includes anthocyanins, the pigments responsible for their deep red color. These compounds trigger your blood vessels to relax by boosting production of nitric oxide, a molecule that signals the smooth muscle lining your arteries to loosen up. When those muscles relax, your blood vessels widen, and blood flows through with less resistance. That’s what lowers the pressure reading.
Beyond that direct relaxation effect, cherry polyphenols also reduce oxidative stress and dampen inflammation in blood vessel walls. Chronic, low-grade inflammation stiffens arteries over time, so reducing it helps keep vessels flexible. Cherries also supply about 200 mg of potassium per 100 grams, and higher potassium intake is consistently linked to lower blood pressure and reduced stroke risk in large population studies. The 2025 AHA/ACC blood pressure guidelines specifically recommend increasing dietary potassium from natural sources like fruits, vegetables, and legumes as part of managing hypertension.
What the Trials Actually Show
The most specific blood pressure trial to date gave older adults with early-stage hypertension about 480 mL (roughly two cups) of Montmorency tart cherry juice daily for 12 weeks. Their systolic blood pressure fell from an average of 141.4 mmHg to 135.7 mmHg, a 4% reduction. Diastolic pressure, the bottom number, didn’t change significantly, staying near 79 mmHg throughout.
A separate pilot study looked at what happens in the hours right after a single serving. A 300 mL dose of cherry juice produced a significant drop in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure within two hours. By six hours, readings had returned to baseline. This suggests the acute effects are real but temporary, which is why consistent daily intake over weeks matters more than a one-time glass.
Across the broader research on cherries and health, a 2018 review found that blood pressure improved in five out of seven studies examined. That’s encouraging but not unanimous, and most trials have been small, typically involving a few dozen participants rather than hundreds.
Tart vs. Sweet Cherries
Most blood pressure research uses Montmorency tart cherries, and there’s a reason for that. Tart cherries pack roughly twice the total phenolic compounds of sweet varieties. Montmorency cherry flesh contains about 301 mg of phenolics per 100 grams, compared to 134 mg in Bing (sweet) cherries. The skins are even more concentrated: 558 mg per 100 grams for Montmorency versus 333 mg for Bing.
Interestingly, sweet cherries actually contain more anthocyanins. Red sweet cherry varieties range from 82 to 297 mg of anthocyanins per 100 grams, while tart varieties like Montmorency and Balton come in at 27 to 76 mg. But anthocyanins are only one piece of the puzzle. Tart cherries are richer in other phenolic subgroups, and their overall antioxidant capacity tends to test higher in standard lab assays. If your goal is blood pressure specifically, tart cherry products have the stronger evidence behind them. Sweet cherries aren’t useless, but the research trail is thinner.
How Much to Consume
The clinical trials that produced measurable blood pressure reductions used 480 mL (about 16 ounces) of tart cherry juice per day, typically split into two servings. That’s a meaningful volume of liquid, and it came in the form of juice made from Montmorency cherries. Participants in these studies drank this amount consistently for 12 weeks before the chronic benefits were assessed.
If you prefer concentrate, many commercial tart cherry concentrates are designed to be diluted to roughly the same volume. Whole tart cherries are harder to study in controlled trials, so the exact equivalent in whole fruit isn’t firmly established, but the compounds are the same. A cup of whole tart cherries (about 150 grams) would deliver a substantial dose of the same polyphenols, though likely less than 16 ounces of juice.
Sugar Content and Glycemic Concerns
Two cups of cherry juice per day adds calories and sugar to your diet, which is worth considering if you’re managing your weight or blood sugar. A standard daily serving in the trials contained roughly 26 grams of sugar (about 13 grams per cup). That’s less than many fruit juices but not negligible.
The good news is that tart cherry juice has a low glycemic index of about 45, meaning it raises blood sugar more slowly than many sweetened beverages. In direct comparisons, blood sugar levels stayed significantly lower after cherry juice than after a high-glycemic sports drink over the first 40 minutes. For people watching their glucose, tart cherry juice is a better option than most commercial fruit juices, but unsweetened versions are important. Many store-bought cherry juices add sugar, which defeats the purpose.
Cherries Within the Bigger Picture
A 5.7 mmHg systolic reduction is clinically meaningful. Population-level data suggests that even a 2 mmHg drop in average systolic blood pressure reduces stroke mortality by about 10%. But cherries work best as one part of a broader dietary pattern, not a standalone fix. The DASH diet, which emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-sodium foods, remains the most well-supported dietary approach for blood pressure, and cherries fit neatly within it.
If you’re already on blood pressure medication, adding cherry juice to your routine is unlikely to cause problems. No significant drug interactions have been identified in the existing research, though studies haven’t specifically tested every medication combination. The main practical concern is the added sugar and calories, especially if you’re drinking two cups daily on top of your normal diet. Choosing unsweetened tart cherry juice or concentrate, and accounting for those calories elsewhere, keeps the tradeoff favorable.