A 2006 review concluded that there was no link between omega-3 fatty acids consumption and cancer. This is similar to the findings of a review of studies up to February 2002 that failed to find clear effects of long and shorter chain omega-3 fats on total risk of death, combined cardiovascular events and cancer.
The cultivated forms are of the species sweet cherry (P. avium) to which most cherry cultivars belong, and the sour cherry (P. cerasus), which is used mainly for cooking. Both species originate in Europe and western Asia; they do not cross-pollinate.
Then there's disease, to which sweet cherries are highly susceptible - even more so than sour cherries. All these factors help drive the cost of sweet cherries a little higher, even in season. An estimated 2,500 cherry growers in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, and Montana produce the most sweet cherries in the US. Iran, Turkey, Italy, and Spain also do well in this crop.