Dr. Glyn Howatson, an exercise physiologist and Laboratory Director, looked specifically at Montmorency cherries in his study. Twenty marathon runners either drank the cherry juice as part of a blend or a placebo drink for five days before running the London Marathon. They continued to drink the juice for two days after the race.
The group who drank the juice recovered faster than those in the control group in terms of strength, reduced inflammation, and reduced oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is a damaging response to intense physical exercise that often occurs in long distance endurance exercise such as marathons.
The results indicate that the cherry juice aids in recovery by improving overall antioxidative capacity, which helps with the recovery of muscle function and reduces inflammation.
Dr Howatson says, "Participating in long-distance endurance events, such as the London Marathon, causes a degree of muscle damage and inflammation for the runners. It takes several days to recover and during that period the runner's ability to conduct physical activity can be vastly inhibited. The phytochemicals, in particular, anthocyanins found in Montmorency cherries have anti-inflammatory and antioxidating properties, which the research has shown to be effective in helping exercisers to recover from strenuous physical activity."
The researchers believe the results have implications for other athletes and for people living with inflammatory diseases. Dr. Howatson continues, "If funding can be secured to embark on a further study, we can determine whether the use of tart cherry juice has implications for the management of some clinical pathologies that display high levels of inflammation and oxidative stress, such as rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. People are increasingly looking at natural remedies, or neutraceuticals, to treat their conditions, and scientific studies, such as the research into tart cherries, examine the potentially untapped treatments held in natural resources, that can provide adjunct therapy for the management of disease, which can help reduce negative symptoms and improve quality of life."
