An Interview With John Davey, Founder of CherryPharm

(www.livelywomen.com) — I was intrigued by the claims of all-natural CherryPharm juice, so I sat down with the founder John Davey over e-mail to learn more about his product and his company.

Kristen, LivelyWomen.com: What exactly does CherryPharm do?

John Davey, CherryPharm, Inc.: CherryPharm is based on the natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties found in tart cherries. We worked with Cornell University to develop a process that would retain those potent but fragile cherry compounds. So far, we have done five independent clinical trials on our juice looking at post-exercise muscle damage, inflammation, oxidative stress, and insomnia, and all five of the studies have had extremely positive results. We are also in the middle of another trial on osteoarthritis. All of our studies have been done at independent (and world renowned) hospitals and universities using double-blind, placebo controlled design.

Kristen: What’s the difference between tart or sour cherries and regular cherries?

John Davey: The two are different species but the primary difference is that sour cherries (prunus cerasus) have more acids and less sugars than sweet cherries (prunus avium). Sour cherries have traditionally been used as pie filling while sweet cherries typically get sold as a “fresh crop” at the grocery store / green market. sweet cherries are typically more heavily treated with pesticides in order to look better to the consumer – tart cherries get significantly less treatment.

Kristen: Can you tell us a bit about the recovery powers of sour cherries?

John Davey: Research has shown that cherries contain a unique combination of phytonutrients that can have an anti-inflammatory effect when taken regularly and in quantity. So by eating a lot of cherries, the body can actually reduce inflammatory markers — this can include the inflammatory response to exercise. Unlike any other cherry products, CherryPharm’s innovative juice extraction and pouring technique has been designed to replicate nature and provide a “medicinal” dose in every bottle – 50 cherries per 8-oz serving.

Kristen: How does CherryPharm improve sleep?

John Davey: Cherries are a source of naturally occurring melatonin, which may explain the sleep effect. However, researchers also believe that elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interluken-6 (IL-6) are correlated to sleep. So by lowering circulating inflammation markers, that may have a positive effect on sleep. In a recent study at the London Marathon, CherryPharm was shown to lower several post-exercise markers of inflammation including IL-6.

Kristen: Is CherryPharm only for professional athletes?

John Davey: CherryPharm is good for everybody. Even though we have so many top sports teams and athletes drinking our juice, we have a much longer list of regular consumers who drink it every day for a variety of health reasons – so everyone from the elite athlete to the Average Joe/Jane (young, old, male, female).

Kristen: What are the five most interesting things you’ve learned about cherries?

John Davey: (1) There are hundreds of different types of cherries around the world and each type is different. (2) Cherry taste and texture will vary from crop to crop based on sun / rain / heat / cold. (3) Each cherry tree produces approximately 7,000 cherries per year. (4) It takes about 7 years for a cherry tree to start producing fruit. (5) The price and supply of U.S. cherries is federally regulated.

Kristen: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

John Davey: Two general things – I’ll try to be brief:

[First,] CherryPharm is all-natural and made from whole fruit, and we have done clinical trials on our product. Most companies never do clinical trials because they are expensive, time consuming, and risky. Instead, most companies give the illusion of “healthy lifestyle” or “good for you” without having any real support.

[Second,] Consumers should read labels:

• Food processing matters. Exposure to heat, light and oxygen break down natural compounds, and a lot of juice products start with concentrate, which is no where close to whole fruit.
• Shelf life matters. Natural products break down quickly so anything with an extended shelf life probably contains preservatives or has been super-heated to extend shelf life. And longer shelf lives are important to distributors and grocery stores so they have more time to transport and sell the product.
• Cost of goods matters. Grocery store products are marked-up first by the distributor and then again by the retailer. So a lot of food manufacturers start with cheap ingredients in order to end up with a “reasonably priced” product at retail that supports multiple mark-ups.
• Be mindful of supplements. The dietary supplement industry is loosely regulated and self-policing. They are able to make lots of claims as long as they foot note the label – “these statements have not been reviewed by the FDA. this product is not intended to treat, cure, or prevent any disease.” (Which, of course, begs the question – why would anyone take an unregulated product that is not intended to do anything?)

For more information about CherryPharm, visit the company website.

Contents Copyright © 2008 Kristen King

Tags: womens health blog, lively women, kristen king, john davey, cherrypharm, sweet cherries, sour cherries, tart cherries