Tart Cherry supplementation has gained a lot of steam over the past few years. Marketed to help with recovery (soreness reduction), sleep, and overall health- tart cherry is often sold in juice concentrate but is also found fresh, frozen, dried, and even in pill/capsule form.
What is it?
Tart Cherry is a species of Prunus in the subgenus Cerasus (cherries), native to much of Europe and southwest Asia. It is closely related to the sweet cherry (Prunus avium), but has a fruit that is more acidic. Its sour pulp is edible (4).
What are the benefits to supplementation?
Tart Cherry has been marketed mostly towards the improvement in recovery. A study on endurance athletes showed that taking tart cherry didn’t get rid of all pain post event, but those ingesting it had significantly lower levels reported compared to the placebo group (3). In another study of male college students, strength loss and pain were significantly less in the cherry juice trial versus placebo (2). Outside of reduction of muscle soreness, a study in 2019 suggested that regular tart cherry juice consumption helps to reduce CVD risk factors in older adults by reducing systolic BP and LDL cholesterol (1). One last study even showed that tart cherry juice increased sleep time and sleep efficiency in the elderly, though this study only had 8 subjects participate and all reported problems with insomnia(5).
How much should I consume?
The four studies from the previous section had subjects consume between 8-16 ounces of tart cherry juice. This is a good guideline to follow if going away from the directions on the back of the label. Recommended ounces or mg (pill form) will vary from brand to brand.
Conclusion
There are numerous reported benefits to consumption of tart cherry juice. Results from the studies show promise but also mention the need for continued research. If it is cost-effective for you to add to your daily regimen, this supplement should provide you with results you are looking for.
References
1. Cahi, S. C., Davis, K., Zhang, Z., Zha, L., & Kirschner, K. F. (2019). Effects of Tart Cherry Juice on Biomarkers of Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Older Adults. Nutrients, 11(2), 228.
2. Connolly, D. A., McHugh, M. P., Padilla-Zakour, O., Carlson, L., & Sayers, S. P. (2006). Efficacy of a tart cherry juice blend in preventing the symptoms of muscle damage. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 40(8), 679-683.
3. Kuehl, K. S., Perrier, E. T., Elliott, D. L., & Chesnutt, J. C. (2010). Efficacy of tart cherry juice in reducing muscle pain during running: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 7(17).
4. Little, Elbert L. (1980). The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region. New York: Knopf. p. 498.
5. Losso, J. N., Finley, J. W., Karki, N., Liu, A. G., Pan, W., Prudente, A., . . . Greenway, F. L. (2018). Pilot Study of Tart Cherry Juice for the Treatment of Insomnia and Investigation of Mechanisms. American Journal of Therapeutics, 25(2), 194-201.
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