You may have seen tart cherry juice tucked in among thecoconut waterand sports recovery drinks at your grocery store.
But, if you haven’t bought a bottle yet, now may be the time to get one.
A growing body of research is showing that tart cherry juice can benefit your health in many ways.
Credit:BHG / Andrea Araiza
Maybe you’ve overlooked tart cherry juice in the past.
Here are some compelling reasons it may be worth adding tart cherry juice to your cart.
BHG / Andrea Araiza
What Does Tart Cherry Juice Taste Like?
Credit:BHG / Andrea Araiza
Before diving into tart cherry juice benefits, you may wonder how tart cherry juice tastes.
It’s pretty tart, yes, but also sweet.
But you drink it chilled, and the sweetness provides balance.
Credit:BHG / Andrea Araiza
Some even say ittastes like cherry pie.
You May Sleep Better After Drinking Tart Cherry Juice
Does tart cherry juice help you sleep?
That’s the question professional athletes asked McHugh after they started drinking it.
Credit:BHG / Andrea Araiza
So how much tart cherry juice should you drink a day to get the benefits for sleep?
And what about the natural sugar content in tart cherry juice?
Could it be counterproductive to good sleep?
Meyer and McHugh say no.
And an increase in CRP often comes along with a diagnosis of hypertension.
Since that first study, much research on tart cherries has shown similar benefits.
So, what makes tart cherries so good for your post-exercise muscles?
Tart cherries pack more than 30 phytonutrients with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
And what key in of athletes may need tart cherry juice the most?
The seasons become a war of attrition with bodies breaking down slowly."
That’s where a daily dose of anutrient-dense drinklike tart cherry juice could help.
It could also be beneficial if you’re facing an upcoming strenuous activity that is out of the norm.
McHugh uses the example of a recreational skier.
“The antioxidants found in tart cherries and tart cherry juice certainly canhelp decrease inflammation.”
But for heart health in particular, Amidor says not to lean too heavily on any one thing.
“Consuming tart cherry juice should be done, if desired, in addition to everything else.”
How Much Cherry Juice Should You Drink?
“That dose has been used to good effect in multiple studies,” McHugh says.
And there’s not a health professional out there who would recommend that.
McHugh, Malachy et al.
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8, 2012, Springer, pp.
909-916, doi:10.1007/s00394-011-0263-7
Kelley, Darshan et al.
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10, no.3, 2018, MDPI, pp.
368, doi:10.3390/nu10030368
Yu, Ying et al.
“Pilot Study of the Tart Cherry Juice for the Treatment of Insomnia and Investigation of Mechanisms.
“American Journal of Therapeutics,vol.
2, 2018, pp.
194-201, doi:10.1097/MJT.0000000000000584
Simon, Vicky A. et al.
“Consumption of Cherries Lowers Plasma Urate in Healthy Women.
“Journal of Nutrition,vol.
6, 2003, Oxford Academic, pp.
“Journal of Food Studies, vol.
1, 2012, MacroThink Institute.
“Effects of Tart Cherry Juice on Biomarkers of Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Older Adults.
“Nutrients, vol.
2, 2019, pp.
228, MDPI, doi:10.3390/nu11020228
Clifford, Tom.
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6, 2016, Oxford Academic, pp.
1531-1539, doi:10.3945/ajcn.115.123869
Davis, Kristina et al.
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6, 2018, Royal Society of Chemistry, pp.
3185-3194. doi:10.1039/c8fo00468d
Connolly, D. A. J. et al.
“Efficacy of a Tart Cherry Juice Blend in Preventing the Symptoms of Muscle Damage.
“BritishJournal of Sports Medicine, vol.
8, 2006, pp.
