Tart Cherry Juice
Tart cherry juice is best known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. It seems to improve exercise recovery and possibly sleep quality. More evidence is needed to determine whether it is helpful for gout management.
Tart Cherry Juice is most often used for
Last Updated:October 13, 2024
Tart cherry juice is made from tart cherries, a type of stone fruit known for its thin outer layer, edible flesh, and hard seed. It is valued for its high content of polyphenols, especially anthocyanins, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Supplementation with tart cherry juice can enhance recovery from aerobic and resistance exercise by reducing muscle soreness and inflammation, and it may also improve endurance performance. Additionally, it has shown potential benefits for sleep quality in both older adults with insomnia and younger adults without sleep issues.
Tart cherry juice may pose risks for people with chronic kidney disease due to potential kidney injury associated with its polyphenol content, and it contains carbohydrates that could affect people with irritable bowel syndrome. Additionally, although it has a calorie content that could contribute to weight gain, studies suggest that it does not affect body mass index or fat mass, and high doses may hinder exercise adaptations in athletes.
Tart cherry juice is believed to provide benefits primarily due to its high polyphenol content, particularly anthocyanins, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. It may improve sleep by increasing melatonin levels, enhance endurance exercise performance by boosting muscle antioxidant capacity and blood flow, and support sustained carbohydrate availability during exercise.
- Montmorency Cherry Juice
- Cherry Juice
To enhance exercise recovery or endurance exercise performance, tart cherry juice should be taken daily for 3–7 days before the exercise session of interest and 1–2 hours before exercise on the day of the event.[1][2] To enhance exercise recovery, tart cherry juice should also be consumed 2–4 days following the event.[3] There has yet to be a study that assessed the effects of supplementing with tart cherry juice for longer than a few days before and after an exercise session, but it’s hypothesized that to maximize the effect of tart cherry juice on exercise recovery, athletes should supplement throughout the entire competitive season.[1] The most common dosage for tart cherry juice concentrate is 30 mL, consumed twice per day (60 mL total). The most common dosages for tart cherry juice are 237 mL or 355 mL, consumed twice per day (474–710 mL total).
To improve sleep, the most common dosage is either 30 mL of tart cherry juice concentrate or 237 mL of tart cherry juice, consumed twice per day, with one dose in the morning and the other 1–2 hours before bed.
Tart cherries generally have higher amounts of vitamin A, beta-carotene, and total polyphenols than sweet cherries, whereas sweet cherries contain more anthocyanins. Additionally, tart cherry products are primarily used in exercise science research, but further studies are needed to fully understand the health effects of both types.
Both sweet and tart cherries are rich in polyphenols,[6] particularly anthocyanins, and demonstrate the potential to improve a myriad of health outcomes.[4] Tart cherries contain higher amounts of vitamin A and beta-carotene than sweet cherries.[5]
The concentration and composition of polyphenols varies between different cultivars of sweet and tart cherries, which makes it difficult to generalize about differences between sweet and tart cherries. Nonetheless, it’s possible to compare the most commonly grown cultivar of sweet and tart cherries in the U.S., which are Bing and Montmorency cherries, respectively. In this case, tart cherries seem to have higher concentrations of total polyphenols than sweet cherries,[5] while sweet cherries contain more anthocyanins.[6]
Besides anthocyanins, cherries are rich in other polyphenols, including hydroxycinnamates and flavan-3-ols. Bing cherries seem to have a higher proportion of flavan-3-ols than Montmorency cherries, whereas Montmorency cherries seem to have a higher proportion of hydroxycinnamates than Bing cherries.[4]
Another difference between the two main types of cherries is that tart cherry products are almost exclusively used in exercise science research. This appears to be a consequence of cost and availability rather than differences in polyphenol concentrations or other factors that could influence health outcomes.[1] In fact, some types of sweet cherries compare favorably to tart cherries,[29] so it’s possible that their effects in the body aren’t all that different,[4] but further randomized controlled trials putting sweet and tart cherries head-to-head are needed to confirm this.
- ^McHugh MP"Precovery" versus recovery: Understanding the role of cherry juice in exercise recovery.Scand J Med Sci Sports.(2022-Jun)
- ^Gao R, Chilibeck PDEffect of Tart Cherry Concentrate on Endurance Exercise Performance: A Meta-analysis.J Am Coll Nutr.(2020)
- ^Jessica Amie Hill, Karen Mary Keane, Rebecca Quinlan, Glyn HowatsonTart Cherry Supplementation and Recovery From Strenuous Exercise: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisInt J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab.(2021 Jan 13)
- ^Kelley DS, Adkins Y, Laugero KDA Review of the Health Benefits of Cherries.Nutrients.(2018-Mar-17)
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- ^Letitia M McCune, Chieri Kubota, Nicole R Stendell-Hollis, Cynthia A ThomsonCherries and health: a reviewCrit Rev Food Sci Nutr.(2011 Jan)
- ^Losso JN, Finley JW, Karki N, Liu AG, Prudente A, Tipton R, Yu Y, Greenway FLPilot Study of the Tart Cherry Juice for the Treatment of Insomnia and Investigation of Mechanisms.Am J Ther.(2018)
- ^Chung J, Choi M, Lee KEffects of Short-Term Intake of Montmorency Tart Cherry Juice on Sleep Quality after Intermittent Exercise in Elite Female Field Hockey Players: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Int J Environ Res Public Health.(2022-Aug-18)
- ^Glyn Howatson, Phillip G Bell, Jamie Tallent, Benita Middleton, Malachy P McHugh, Jason EllisEffect of tart cherry juice (Prunus cerasus) on melatonin levels and enhanced sleep qualityEur J Nutr.(2012 Dec)
- ^Matout M, Halme AS, Wiseman JA case of acute kidney injury secondary to black cherry concentrate in a patient with chronic kidney disease secondary to type 2 diabetes mellitus.CEN Case Rep.(2019-Aug)
- ^Luciano RLAcute kidney injury from cherry concentrate in a patient with CKD.Am J Kidney Dis.(2014-Mar)
- ^Sokół-Łętowska A, Kucharska AZ, Hodun G, Gołba MChemical Composition of 21 Cultivars of Sour Cherry () Fruit Cultivated in Poland.Molecules.(2020-Oct-08)
- ^Lenhart A, Chey WDA Systematic Review of the Effects of Polyols on Gastrointestinal Health and Irritable Bowel Syndrome.Adv Nutr.(2017-Jul)
- ^Moosavian SP, Maharat M, Chambari M, Moradi F, Rahimlou MEffects of tart cherry juice consumption on cardio-metabolic risk factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials.Complement Ther Med.(2022-Dec)
- ^Merry TL, Ristow MDo antioxidant supplements interfere with skeletal muscle adaptation to exercise training?J Physiol.(2016 Sep 15)
- ^Bell PG, McHugh MP, Stevenson E, Howatson GThe role of cherries in exercise and healthScand J Med Sci Sports.(2014 Jun)
- ^Burkhardt S, Tan DX, Manchester LC, Hardeland R, Reiter RJDetection and quantification of the antioxidant melatonin in Montmorency and Balaton tart cherries (Prunus cerasus).J Agric Food Chem.(2001-Oct)
- ^Reid MBRedox interventions to increase exercise performance.J Physiol.(2016-Sep-15)
- ^O'Reilly J, Wong SH, Chen YGlycaemic index, glycaemic load and exercise performance.Sports Med.(2010-Jan-01)
- ^Haidari F, Mohammad Shahi M, Keshavarz SA, Rashidi MRInhibitory Effects of Tart Cherry (Prunus cerasus) Juice on Xanthine Oxidoreductase Activity and its Hypouricemic and Antioxidant Effects on Rats.Malays J Nutr.(2009-Mar)
- ^Keith R Martin, Katie M ColesConsumption of 100% Tart Cherry Juice Reduces Serum Urate in Overweight and Obese AdultsCurr Dev Nutr.(2019 Feb 25)
- ^Hillman AR, Uhranowsky KAcute Ingestion of Montmorency Tart Cherry Reduces Serum Uric Acid but Has no Impact on High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein or Oxidative Capacity.Plant Foods Hum Nutr.(2021-Mar)
- ^Bell et alMontmorency tart cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) concentrate lowers uric acid, independent of plasma cyanidin-3-O-glucosiderutinosideJournal of Functional Foods.(2014-09-28)
- ^Lisa K Stamp, Peter Chapman, Christopher Frampton, Stephen B Duffull, Jill Drake, Yuqing Zhang, Tuhina NeogiLack of effect of tart cherry concentrate dose on serum urate in people with goutRheumatology (Oxford).(2020 Sep 1)
- ^Schlesinger et alPilot Studies of Cherry Juice Concentrate for Gout Flare ProphylaxisJournal of Arthritis.(2012-02-22)
- ^Tinna Traustadóttir, Sean S Davies, Anthoney A Stock, Yali Su, Christopher B Heward, L Jackson Roberts 2nd, S Mitchell HarmanTart cherry juice decreases oxidative stress in healthy older men and womenJ Nutr.(2009 Oct)
- ^Howatson G, McHugh MP, Hill JA, Brouner J, Jewell AP, van Someren KA, Shave RE, Howatson SAInfluence of tart cherry juice on indices of recovery following marathon runningScand J Med Sci Sports.(2010 Dec)
- ^Schumacher HR, Pullman-Mooar S, Gupta SR, Dinnella JE, Kim R, McHugh MPRandomized double-blind crossover study of the efficacy of a tart cherry juice blend in treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee.Osteoarthritis Cartilage.(2013-Aug)
- ^Vanisree Mulabagal, Gregory A Lang, David L DeWitt, Sanjeev S Dalavoy, Muraleedharan G NairAnthocyanin content, lipid peroxidation and cyclooxygenase enzyme inhibitory activities of sweet and sour cherriesJ Agric Food Chem.(2009 Feb 25)
- ^Rachel Kimble, Karen M Keane, John K Lodge, Glyn HowatsonThe Influence of Tart Cherry ( Prunus cerasus, cv Montmorency) Concentrate Supplementation for 3 Months on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Middle-Aged Adults: A Randomised, Placebo-Controlled TrialNutrients.(2021 Apr 23)
- ^Soltanifar A, Moharreri F, Bakhtiari E, Hosseinpour AThe Effect of Adding Sour Cherry Concentrate to The Usual Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder In 6 To 12 Years Old Children.J Atten Disord.(2023 Jan)
- ^Shenouda M, Copley R, Pacioles T, Lebowicz Y, Jamil M, Akpanudo S, Tirona MTEffect of Tart Cherry on Aromatase Inhibitor-Induced Arthralgia (AIA) in Nonmetastatic Hormone-Positive Breast Cancer Patients: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial.Clin Breast Cancer.(2022-Jan)
- ^Gonzalez DE, Kendra JA, Dickerson BL, Yoo C, Ko J, McAngus K, Martinez V, Leonard M, Johnson SE, Xing D, Sowinski RJ, Rasmussen CJ, Kreider RBEffects of Acute and One-Week Supplementation with Montmorency Tart Cherry Powder on Food-Induced Uremic Response and Markers of Health: A Proof-of-Concept Study.Nutrients.(2024 Oct 6)
- ^Sabou VR, O'Leary MF, Liu Y, Brown PN, Murch S, Bowtell JLReview of Analytical Methods and Reporting of the Polyphenol Content of Tart Cherry Supplements in Human Supplementation Studies Investigating Health and Exercise Performance Effects: Recommendations for Good Practice.Front Nutr.(2021)
- ^Hahn M, Baierle M, Charão MF, Bubols GB, Gravina FS, Zielinsky P, Arbo MD, Cristina Garcia SPolyphenol-rich food general and on pregnancy effects: a review.Drug Chem Toxicol.(2017 Jul)
- ^Lewicka A, Szymański Ł, Rusiecka K, Kucza A, Jakubczyk A, Zdanowski R, Lewicki SSupplementation of Plants with Immunomodulatory Properties during Pregnancy and Lactation-Maternal and Offspring Health Effects.Nutrients.(2019 Aug 20)
- ^Ríos J, Valero-Jara V, Thomas-Valdés SPhytochemicals in breast milk and their benefits for infants.Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr.(2022)
- Uric Acid - Keith R Martin, Katie M ColesConsumption of 100% Tart Cherry Juice Reduces Serum Urate in Overweight and Obese AdultsCurr Dev Nutr.(2019 Feb 25)
- Gout Symptoms - Lisa K Stamp, Peter Chapman, Christopher Frampton, Stephen B Duffull, Jill Drake, Yuqing Zhang, Tuhina NeogiLack of effect of tart cherry concentrate dose on serum urate in people with goutRheumatology (Oxford).(2020 Sep 1)
- Uric Acid - Angela R Hillman, Bryna C R ChrismasThirty Days of Montmorency Tart Cherry Supplementation Has No Effect on Gut Microbiome Composition, Inflammation, or Glycemic Control in Healthy AdultsFront Nutr.(2021 Sep 16)
- Nitric Oxide - Keane KM, Bailey SJ, Vanhatalo A, Jones AM, Howatson GEffects of montmorency tart cherry (L. Prunus Cerasus) consumption on nitric oxide biomarkers and exercise performance.Scand J Med Sci Sports.(2018-Jul)
- Blood Pressure - Eslami O, Khorramrouz F, Ghavami A, Hajebi Khaniki S, Shidfar FEffect of cherry consumption on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Diabetes Metab Syndr.(2022-Feb)
- Blood Pressure - Moosavian SP, Maharat M, Chambari M, Moradi F, Rahimlou MEffects of tart cherry juice consumption on cardio-metabolic risk factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials.Complement Ther Med.(2022-Dec)