Tart cherry concentrate may improve endurance exercise performance, according to a first-of-its-kind study which suggests the fruit product can help reduce strength loss, and improve muscle recovery after intensive workout sessions.
The current research, published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, examined 10 previously published studies on tart cherries and exercise recovery involving a total of 127 males and 20 females.
"The recovery benefits of tart cherry concentrate are well researched, yet evidence on performance enhancement is scarce and results have been mixed," said study co-author Philip Chilibeck from the University of Saskatchewan in Canada.
"The results of this meta-analysis found that tart cherries did help improve performance, and we gained greater insight into the potential mechanism responsible for this benefit," Chilibeck said.
In the reviewed studies, the sample sizes ranged from 8-27, and the average ages of study participants ranged from 18.6 to 34.6 years.
According to Chilibeck and his team, most of the participants were endurance-trained individuals, including cyclists, runners, and triathletes.
After pooling results from the studies, the review research concluded that tart cherry concentrate in juice or powdered form significantly improved endurance exercise performance when consumed for seven days to 1.5 hours before cycling, swimming, or running.
Nine of the 10 studies involved longer-term tart cherry consumption -- around two to seven days prior to exercise -- and one involved same-day supplementation, the scientists added.
The dosages varied across studies, and included 200 to 500 milligrammes per day (mg/day) in capsule or powder form, 60 to 90 millilitres per day (mL/day) of tart cherry juice concentrate diluted with 100 to 510 mL water, and 300 to 473mL/day of tart cherry juice.
Physical performance measurement differed across studies, and included distance on a shuttle swimming test, time to exhaustion during high-intensity cycling, total work performed during cycling, time it took to cover 10 kilometres (km), 15 km and 20 km, and the time to complete a full or half marathon, the current research noted.
Pooled results across these 10 studies suggested a significant improvement in endurance performance with tart cherry concentrate, with two of the studies reporting significant performance-enhancing effects on their own, the scientists said.
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