Is Tart Cherry Juice Worth the Hype?
Should Athletes Drink Tart Cherry Juice?
Written by Holley Samuel MEd, RD, CSSD, CPT & Gillian Hotaling, nutrition intern
A recent episode on the Holley Fueled Nutrition Podcast is about the infamously popular tart cherry juice. This episode on tart cherry juice is part of my supplement myth busting series where I bust myths and help you understand the research behind different sports nutrition supplements and products out there. Tart cherry juice has gained a lot of attention on social media recently. A well balanced diet filled with all the macronutrients is essential for optimal performance, however a beverage such as tart cherry juice is an exceptional product to supplement runners training due to its several benefits. Tart cherry juice provides nutritional value as it contains minerals magnesium and potassium which aids in recovery. Furthermore, the juice contains certain polyphenols which have anti-inflammatory properties making it a valuable addition to an athlete’s diet.
What’s the deal with Tart Cherry Juice?
Tart cherry juice is made from cherry varieties such sour or montmorency cherries. The juice has a rich red color and tangy taste. Tart cherry is its own beverage with no added sugar, but it can be mixed with another beverage like apple juice to lessen the tart flavor. Tart cherry juice can be found both in person such as grocery stores and retail stores like Target or Walmart, or online stores like Amazon or The Feed. You can get $80 in annual Feed credit if you sign up here. There are numerous ways to add tart cherry juice to your diet. You can incorporate it into mocktails, add it to your smoothies, or drink it plain at night.
Gillian’s Go-To Tart Cherry Juice 🍒Mocktail Recipe
1 scoop of ice
8-12 oz tart cherry juice
6-8 oz of your favorite seltzer (I personally love Polar’s Mango Limeade)
½ juiced lime
Lime wedges for garnish
There are plenty of social media claims surrounding the internet about how tart cherry juice speeds up recovery, improves sleep and reduces muscle soreness, but are these claims actually true? The body of research indicates strongly that tart cherry juice does aid in recovery, sleep and performance. According to the body of research, one study conducted with long distance runners showed that the participants who drank the tart cherry juice twice daily for one week prior to and the day of the race reported significantly less pain after the race compared to the placebo group. This indicates that the tart cherry juice likely played a factor in reducing muscle soreness and speeding up recovery for these athletes. Similarly, another study conducted with runners who consumed tart cherry juice for multiple days leading up to and after a marathon reported faster recovery of muscle strength as well as reduced inflammation. This improvement of recovery time, and reduction in muscle soreness is likely due to the minerals magnesium and potassium in the montmorency cherries.
Moreover, new research has shown that tart juice reduces the risk of upper respiratory tract symptoms from running because of the magnesium present in the juice. You can learn more about the role of magnesium specifically here. Tart cherry juice not only reduces muscle soreness, but also aids better sleep. The juice helps tryptophan enter the bloodstream which helps with the production of melatonin, the hormone in our bodies that play a role in the sleep-wake cycle. As for our performance, research shows that tart cherry juice can improve endurance activity because of its anti inflammatory properties and increase in blood flow.
The Recommendations
Research suggests consuming 8-12 ounces of tart cherry juice or an equivalent amount of concentrate daily for potential benefits. Consuming 8-12 ounces of tart cherry juice over several days or weeks may be necessary to observe benefits. It is important to recognize that benefits from consuming tart cherry juice are not guaranteed. Based on how research supports athletes consumption of tart cherry juice, I recommend you add tart cherry juice to your diet. If anything, it’ll boost your fluid, carbohydrate, and electrolyte intake.
The Key Takeaway
Tart cherry juice can be effective to an athletes overall health but is not necessary
Check out the episode linked here!
References
Dimitriou, L., Hill, J. A., Jehnali, A., Dunbar, J., Brouner, J., McHugh, M. P., & Howatson, G. (2015). Influence of a montmorency cherry juice blend on indices of exercise-induced stress and upper respiratory tract symptoms following marathon running—a pilot investigation. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-015-0085-8
Gao, R., & Chilibeck, P. D. (2020). Effect of Tart Cherry Concentrate on Endurance Exercise Performance: A Meta-analysis. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 39(7), 657–664. https://doi.org/10.1080/07315724.2020.1713246
Howatson, G., McHugh, M. P., Hill, J. A., Brouner, J., Jewell, A. P., van Someren, K. A., Shave, R. E., & Howatson, S. A. (2010). Influence of tart cherry juice on indices of recovery following marathon running. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 20(6), 843–852. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2009.01005.x
Kuehl, K. S., Perrier, E. T., Elliot, 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. https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-7-17
Nielsen, F. H., & Lukaski, H. C. (2006). Update on the relationship between magnesium and exercise. Magnesium research, 19(3), 180-189