- Workout Recovery
- Brain Function
According to Choose Cherries, one study published in the journal Nutrients found that Montmorency tart cherries may reduce both inflammation and oxidative stress in cyclists. Those who consumed Montmorency tart cherry juice concentrate prior to partaking in a three-day simulated race had less inflammation and oxidative stress compared to those who didn’t.
And that’s not all. In another study, marathon runners were given Montmorency tart cherry juice in the days before, the day of, and two days after a race. Those who drank the juice recovered faster compared to those who didn’t. And runners who took part in a 196-mile relay race in Oregon experienced a lesser degree of muscle pain when on a cherry juice regimen.
Positive benefits have even been reported in the way of strength training. In yet another study, participants who drank Montmorency tart cherry juice experienced less loss of strength than those who didn’t.
According to USA Today, a study conducted at Central Michigan University found that Michigan’s many tart cherries may be key to fighting diseases linked to the brain, like Alzheimer’s. The director of the Central Michigan neuroscience program told USA Today that a compound designed from extracts from tart cherries was found to improve brain function in mice.
“Was it a startling response? Did it cure them? No," Dunbar tells USA Today. "Did it slow down the disease process? Yes. Is that important? Well, if I had Huntington's disease and it gave me -- I don't care if it was one more day of symptom-free living -- thank goodness."