REF-009 · Howatson et al., 2010 · Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, Vol. · Paper

Tart cherry juice around a marathon: faster strength recovery, lower inflammation and oxidative stress

B+moderate evidenceMeasured on trained athletesWritten before October 2026, being re-checked

Participants

n=20 recreational marathon runners, cherry juice vs placebo

Protocol

Tart cherry juice or placebo for 5 days before the marathon, on race day and for 48 h after. Markers: muscle damage (creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, soreness, isometric strength), inflammation (IL-6, CRP, uric acid), total antioxidant status (TAS), oxidative stress (TBARS, protein carbonyls), before and after the race.

Key Results

Isometric strength recovered significantly faster in the cherry group (p=0.024); no other muscle-damage index (CK, LDH, soreness) differed
Inflammation lower with cherry juice: IL-6 (p<0.001), CRP (p<0.01), uric acid (p<0.05)
Total antioxidant status ~10% higher in the cherry group at all post-supplementation measures (p<0.05)
Lipid peroxidation (TBARS) lower at 48 h (p<0.05); protein carbonyls not different

Confirmation

Not from this paper — Squires, Howatson et al. REF-021: freeze-dried Vistula tart cherry powder around a marathon (n=35) — hs-CRP lower in the cherry group (7.9 vs 12.5 mg/L, p=0.031), but no difference in strength, jump, soreness or CK. Inflammation effect replicated; the functional (strength) effect was not.

Practical Application

Finding: in 20 recreational marathoners, tart cherry juice for 5 days before, on the day of and 48 h after the race sped up isometric strength recovery (p=0.024) and lowered IL-6, CRP and uric acid, with total antioxidant status ~10% higher and less lipid peroxidation at 48 h; soreness, CK and LDH were not different. A short course around a single damaging race is the tested use.
Dose window tested: 5 days before + race day + 2 days after. Daily use through heavy training blocks was not studied here; Inference, not tested: chronic antioxidant supplementation may blunt training adaptation, so keep cherry to race/recovery windows rather than every day.

Limitations

n=20, allocation method not stated in the abstract; recreational runners; one marathon; the abstract gives no juice volume or anthocyanin dose
Soreness and CK/LDH were not improved — the functional benefit rests on isometric strength alone
How this entry was checked and changed
Why this level

regraded 2026-09-27 from A: parallel controlled trial, n=20

Content correction 2026-09-27
"Unlike NSAIDs — DOES NOT suppress mTOR and muscle adaptation!" listed as a Key Result -> not tested in this paper; moved to a labelled "Not from this paper" note in Applicability.
Practical "cherry juice/powder daily during heavy training blocks" -> not studied; replaced by the tested 5-day + race + 48 h window with a labelled inference. Lead bullet now carries the study's own outcomes.
Type "RCT" -> placebo-controlled parallel trial (allocation not stated); level A -> B+ (n=20). Confirmation from REF-021 now also states its null functional findings. Limitations section added.