

But there have been no studies carried out to examine this.

If you are having trouble sleeping at night, Montmorency tart cherries contain melatonin (13mg/g), a compound that has been associated with inducing sleep, suggesting that supplements may be helpful. Cherry intake (not tart cherry) has been found to decrease uric acid, but it is important to note that the American College of Rheumatology does not recommend cherries or cherry extract to treat “acute gout” attacks. Gout is another form of inflammatory arthritis, usually experienced in the toe due to a buildup of uric acid. A follow-up study used twice the dosage but found no improvement in symptoms, suggesting that tart cherry juice does not have any significant effect on osteoarthritis. The initial study with one pill containing 100 mg anthocyanins found an improvement in pain symptoms compared with placebo. Another study looked at the effect of CherryFlex, a commercial tart cherry supplement, on osteoarthritis of the knee. Now, what about any possible benefit for people who suffer from osteoarthritis, an inflammation of the joints due to worn-down cartilage? When consuming the tart cherry juice there was a decrease in blood markers for osteoarthritis but no decrease in pain compared to placebo. Fifteen minutes is quite a significant difference! The athletes who consumed the extract finished the race in a significantly shorter time (103 minutes) compared with those who took the placebo (118 minutes).

300 ml) of tart juice twice daily may reduce muscle pain and damage during and after exercise.įor those of you who are into running, it is interesting to note that Kyle Levers of Texas A&M University published a study in the International Journal of Sports Medicine in which athletes were asked to consume 480 mg of tart cherry extract for 10 days prior to a half-marathon. It seems that the anthocyanins they contain prevent the formation of certain prostaglandins that are linked to pain and inflammation, much like aspirin.įor people who enjoy going to the gym and lifting weights, there is some evidence that drinking 10-12 ounces ( approx. If you are suffering from headaches, muscle pain or inflammation, you may be interested to hear that tart cherries may function in a fashion similar to drugs like Aspirin and Ibuprofen. Shira Cohen is studying Nutrition at the School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition at McGill University, specializing in Global Nutrition.
