Montmorency tart cherry juice is rapidly gaining a following among elite athletes and recreational exercisers as a recovery drink. Positive results have been found with long-distance running, cycling, sprinting, field sports and strength training.

In one of the first tart cherry studies on exercise, Connolly and colleagues found that Montmorency tart cherry juice decreased some of the symptoms of exercise-induced muscle damage.⁹ The researchers gave 14 male college students either 12 ounces of Montmorency tart cherry juice or a placebo drink twice a day for 8 days. On day 4, the participants performed strenuous weight lifting. Isometric elbow flexion strength, pain, muscle tenderness, and relaxed elbow angle were recorded before and for 4 days after the exercise. Self-reported pain and strength loss were significantly less in the tart cherry group; strength loss averaged over the 4 days after the eccentric exercise was 22% with the placebo but only 4% with the tart cherry juice.

Similarly, Bowtell and colleagues found that Montmorency tart cherry juice improved muscle recovery after intensive strength exercise.¹⁰ The UK researchers gave 10 well-trained male athletes either 30 mL (about 1 ounce) of tart cherry juice concentrate or a placebo twice a day for 7 days before, day of, and 2 days after single-leg knee extension exercises. Montmorency tart cherry juice consumption was found to reduce strength loss and reduce a biomarker for oxidative damage.

Oregon Health and Science University researchers gave 54 healthy male and female runners participating in the annual 199-mile Hood to Coast relay race either Montmorency tart cherry juice (10.5 ounces twice a day) for 7 days before and on the day of the race or a placebo drink.¹¹ Participants assessed level of pain using a visual scale at baseline, before the race, and after the race. The tart cherry group reported a significantly smaller increase in muscle pain following the race compared to the placebo group.
How much do you need?  The exercise recovery studies used 8-12 ounces of 100% tart cherry juice or juice blend, or 1 ounce of juice concentrate twice a day mixed with water, adding up to 90-120 whole Montmorency tart cherries a day. Other studies gave participants one capsule (480 mg) of powdered tart cherries once a day.

Howatson and colleagues in the UK were the first to measure blood levels of inflammation, oxidative stress, and muscle damage in athletes.¹² In this study, 20 recreational male and female runners competing in the London marathon were divided into 2 groups: one group consumed 8 ounces of Montmorency tart cherry juice twice a day for 5 days before, day of, and 2 days after the marathon, while the other group was given a placebo drink. The participants drinking the tart cherry juice experienced a faster recovery of strength and reduced markers of inflammation compared to those who drank a different beverage.
A second study in the UK measured blood markers of inflammation in 16 trained male cyclists who were divided into equal groups that consumed either 30 mL (about 1 ounce) of Montmorency tart cherry juice concentrate mixed with water or another placebo beverage, twice a day for 7 days.¹³ On days 5, 6 and 7, the participants performed high-intensity cycling intervals – exercise that was designed to replicate the demands of a 3-day race. The markers of inflammation and oxidative stress (c-reactive protein and uric acid) were significantly lower in the cyclists who drank the tart cherry juice compared to those who did not.

The same UK researchers conducted a similar study with 16 semi-professional male soccer players.¹⁴ Montmorency tart cherries were found to aid recovery following a test that simulated the physical and metabolic demands of a soccer, field hockey or rugby game. The soccer players, ages 21 to 29, were divided into 2 equal groups and drank either 30 mL (about 1 ounce) Montmorency tart cherry juice concentrate mixed with water or a placebo drink twice a day for 8 days. On day 5, the soccer players completed the exercise test. Compared to the placebo group, the tart cherry group experienced greater functional performance (including agility), recovered faster, reported less muscle soreness, and had lower markers of inflammation (Interleukin-6). There were no differences is muscle damage and oxidative stress.  

Researchers at Texas A&M tested the beneficial effects of powdered Montmorency tart cherries in athletes participating in both strength and endurance events. In the first study with 23 healthy, resistance-trained men, the participants who consumed one capsule a day (480 mg) of the powdered tart cherries for 10 days reported less quadriceps soreness and strength loss after performing back squat exercises.¹⁵ The second study used the same methodology but in 27 aerobically trained male and female runners or triathletes.¹⁶ Compared to the placebo group, the group that was supplemented with tart cherries experienced lower markers of muscle damage and inflammation after a half-marathon run.  

A study with cyclists found that Montmorency tart cherry juice helped lower their systolic blood pressure and improved end-sprint performance.¹⁷ In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, 10 trained male cyclists consumed either 60 mL of  Montmorency tart cherry juice concentrate mixed with water or a placebo beverage. Tart cherry juice supplementation increased test peak power by 9.5% and the total work completed during the 60 seconds sprint by 10%; there was no impact on the time to exhaustion. Among the study participants drinking the tart cherry juice, systolic blood pressure was significantly reduced 1.5 hours after consumption.

A comprehensive review article on tart cherry juice in athletes summarized the full body of evidence over the last 10 years and analyzed the various outcomes: pain, inflammatory/oxidative stress blood markers, muscle damage markers, strength loss, recovery time, upper respiratory tract symptoms, and performance.¹⁸