Tart Cherry Supplementation and Recovery From Strenuous Exercise: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review and meta-analysis of 14 intervention studies
PubMed 33440334 · doi:10.1123/ijsnem.2020-0145
What was done
A systematic review and meta-analysis of three databases (SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, PubMed) through July 2020 was conducted to evaluate the effects of tart cherry supplementation on recovery after strenuous exercise. The authors extracted and pooled data from 14 studies examining muscle soreness, muscular strength, muscular power, creatine kinase, C-reactive protein (CRP), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha).
What was found
Tart cherry supplementation yielded a small beneficial reduction in muscle soreness (effect size [ES] = -0.44, 95% CI [-0.87, -0.02]) and moderate beneficial effects on recovery of muscular strength (ES = -0.78, 95% CI [-1.11, -0.46]) and muscular power (ES = -0.53, 95% CI [-0.77, -0.29]). Subgroup analyses showed a large effect on jump height recovery (ES = -0.82, 95% CI [-1.18, -0.45]) and a small effect on sprint time (ES = -0.32, 95% CI [-0.60, -0.04]). Small reductions were found for CRP (ES = -0.46, 95% CI [-0.93, -0.00]) and IL-6 (ES = -0.35, 95% CI [-0.68, -0.02]). No significant effects were observed for creatine kinase or TNF-alpha.
Why it matters
This review synthesizes quantitative evidence demonstrating that tart cherry consumption aids functional performance recovery (strength and power) and dampens certain inflammatory markers following intense bouts of exercise.
Limits
The abstract does not report total participant numbers, athlete training status, dosage, or timing of supplementation. Several outcomes (muscle soreness, sprint time, CRP, IL-6) had confidence intervals approaching the null, indicating imprecise effect estimates.
Cited by
- supports Scientific data supports tart cherry juice reducing muscle soreness and exercise-induced muscle damage.