Numerous antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds have been discovered in tart cherries (in particular anthocyanins, the same chemicals that give tart cherries their color). Eating them has been demonstrated to reduce blood concentration
levels of inflammatory markers in men and women. Recently researchers in the US have discovered that consuming cherries may aid recovery after eccentric exercise.
In the study volunteers consumed either a juice blend containing up to 120 tart cherries a day or a placebo drink for eight consecutive days. On the fourth day they carried out 2 x 20 maximum eccentric elbow flexion contractions. Elbow flexion strength, pain, muscle tenderness and range of motion were measured before and for four days after the exercise. The experiment was repeated a couple of
weeks later with the subjects who had had the placebo first time round now taking the cherry juice blend and vice versa.
The researchers(1) found that
Loss of strength over the four days after the exercise averaged 4% with the cherry juice compared with 22% for the placebo group.
Pain the muscles of the arm (the elbow flexors) peaked at 24 hours in the cherry juice trial and then declined whereas it continued to increase in the placebo trial, peaking after 48 hours.
The results may have implications for those who suffer from delayed onset muscle soreness. The study researchers observed that
"These results have important practical applications for athletes, as performance after damaging exercise bouts is primarily affected by strength loss and pain. In addition to being an efficacious treatment for minimising symptoms of exercise induced muscle damage, consumption of cherry juice is much more convenient than many (other) treatments".
(1) Br J Sports Med 2006; 40:679-683
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