New research highlights how the nutrient-packed fruit can be a potent weapon in your training armoury

In recent years, U.S. Montmorency Cherries have attracted an increasing amount of attention concerning their many potential health benefits.

A considerable number of academic studies have been undertaken, with the majority concluding that this bright red, tart tasting and nutrient-dense fruit does indeed make a difference when it comes to sport and exercise.

In a bid to fully understand the bigger picture, however, research teams from both Northumbria University and St Mary’s University recently produced what is known as a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, which essentially means that they assessed all studies which met a set criteria to come up with an overall conclusion.

The findings have just been published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism and are unequivocal – you really can put a cherry on top of your training.

The evidence would suggest that U.S. Montmorency Cherries can be a potent weapon in your nutritional armoury. Here, we take a closer look at how they aid recovery.

Cherries allow you to recover quicker and bounce back a little bit better

Long-distance runners know all too well that feeling of muscle soreness and general discomfort which can follow a big run or develop during periods of high mileage in training.

The repetitive nature of covering those miles damages muscle fibres, yet the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties to be found in U.S. Montmorency Cherries can assist with the healing process.

“With marathon running you obviously get a huge metabolic stress, but you also get a marked damage response from the continual mechanical loading of pounding the streets over long distances” says Professor Glyn Howatson of Northumbria University, one of the authors of the review.

“The repetitive nature of it rips things apart. These cherries have got a great opportunity to take the edge off some of that.

“When athletes are doing a particularly long run or when the volume is starting to increase and they are having to do longer efforts, then the cherry juice can help them get back to where they need to be at an accelerated rate in order to maintain that volume over subsequent days.

“It allows you to recover quicker and then, rather than suffering two days later, you should be able to bounce back a little bit better.”