Montmorency tart cherry supplementation does not impact sleep, body composition, cellular health, or blood pressure in healthy adults.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Individual randomized controlled trial
PubMed 35790450 · doi:10.1177/02601060221111230
What was done
Forty-four healthy participants completed a 30-day randomized controlled trial evaluating Montmorency tart cherry supplementation versus placebo. Participants received either two 240 ml bottles per day of tart cherry juice or placebo, or two capsules per day of powdered tart cherry or placebo. Sleep was tracked daily using a questionnaire. Body composition, cellular health, and blood pressure were assessed at baseline, 14 days, and 30 days.
What was found
No significant differences in sleep time or quality occurred between groups, though both increased over 30 days. Blood pressure and cellular health were unaffected by tart cherry supplementation. In the capsule arms, body mass was significantly lower at 14 days versus baseline in the placebo group (mean difference: 0.70 kg, p = 0.01) and at 30 days versus 14 days in the tart cherry group (mean difference: 0.75 kg, p = 0.02), with no other body composition differences observed.
Why it matters
This study finds no benefit of tart cherry juice or capsules on sleep, blood pressure, or cellular health, contradicting prior positive reports.
Limits
The sample size was small with 44 total participants split across four intervention arms. Sleep was measured via subjective questionnaires rather than objective polysomnography or actigraphy, and specific cellular health markers were not detailed in the abstract.
Cited by
- contradicts Tart cherry juice has moderate to strong scientific evidence supporting its ability to improve sleep.