According to a small intervention study in the US, drinking cherry juice could reduce the pain and damage in muscles induced by exercise.
The US-based company called Cherrypharm, the maker of the tart cherry juice which is marketed to athletes for “less muscle damage, less pain and faster recovery”, sponsored the study.
This new study, published ahead of print in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (doi:10.1136/bjcm.2005.025429), claims to be the first study to examine the effect of consumption of cherries, or a cherry product, on symptoms of exercise-induced muscle damage.
The researchers propose that the flavonoids and anthocyanins in the cherries exert an anti-inflammatory effect and may lessen the damage response to exercise. The 12-ounce bottles of cherry juice use in this experiment is reported to contain the equivalent of 50 to 60 cherries, giving a daily dose of between 100 and 120 cherries.
“The initial damage response of eccentric contractions is a mechanical disruption of myofibrils and injury to the cell membrane. When myofibrillar disruption is extensive, this triggers a local inflammatory response that leads to an exacerbation of damage,” said the researchers.
Read more at NutraIngredients. Well, this is something that the world cup and sports people should take note of (if not already).
Honestly, I haven't tasted cherry juice so haven't the slightest idea if it will please the palate.
The Biotech-Weblog has a similar entry on cherry juice.
Photo Credit: Royal Ridge Fruits
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