In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleHealth BenefitsWhere to Buy ItPrecautions
In This ArticleView All
View All
In This Article
Health Benefits
Where to Buy It
Precautions
Together, the nutrients in cherries offer awealth of health benefits, including anti-inflammatory properties. And we know thatchronic inflammationis a culprit in many conditions, from heart disease and diabetes to cancer and arthritis.
But what about sweet cherry’s sour sister, the tart cherry, often found in the form of juice? Does tart cherry juice have health benefits, too? We dug into the research to find out.
Healthy Cherry Recipes
Health Benefits of Tart Cherry Juice
While research on the benefits of tart cherry juice is still emerging and being hashed out, here are six potential benefits of drinking tart cherry juice.
Improved Memory
A small 2019 randomized controlled trial published inFood & Functiongave 37 older adults several different tests for cognitive performance. This group retook the same tests after 12 weeks of consuming a cherry drink—half of them drank tart cherry juice every day, the other half drank a placebo cherry-flavored beverage that did not contain any juice.
The results indicated that those who drank the tart cherry juice felt their memory had improved, compared to the placebo group who did not experience a subjective improvement in memory. In addition, the tart cherry juice group had improved test scores after 12 weeks of drinking the tart cherry juice, including improved sustained attention—which affects several areas of cognition. The tart cherry juice group also made fewer errors when learning new tasks.
A 2022 study inThe British Journal of Nutritionfound similar results in sustained attention for the tart cherry juice group. This group also felt more alert and had less mental fatigue than the control group that received a placebo drink.
Improved Sleep
Sleep is an often underrated health habit, but one that brings many health benefits when you get enough of it—including astronger immune system and less inflammation.
There are many things you can try to help get a better night’s sleep, likenoshing on certain foodsduring the day and not eating too close to bedtime. Turns out, sipping on tart cherry juice might help, too.
And a 2023 review inCurrent Research in Food Sciencelooked at whether polyphenols—the type of antioxidants found in cherries—help ward off insomnia and other sleep disorders. This review found evidence supporting this notion and suggests more research be done on this topic.
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Pictured Recipe:Anti-Inflammatory Cherry-Spinach Smoothie
Exercise Recovery and Performance
If you like more intense workouts but dread the soreness and fatigue following them, tart cherry juice may help. A 2022 review in theScandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sportssuggests that taking tart cherry juice for several days prior to exercising—what they refer to as “precovery”—will speed up muscle recovery time. Study authors note that there is no evidence suggesting that drinking tart cherry juice the day of a tough workout or event, or following it, helps. The aid really comes from drinking it each day for several days leading up to it.
Tart cherry powdered extract, a more concentrated form of tart cherry juice, may help, as well. A 2021 study in theJournal of the International Society of Sports Nutritionsuggests that supplementation with tart cherry extract helped reduce markers of oxidative stress on muscles following intense resistance exercise, as well as recovery time.
If you’re looking for a boost for your endurance exercise, tart cherry juice might help with that, too. A 2020 review in theJournal of the American College of Nutritionsuggests that drinking tart cherry juice for seven days and up to 1.5 hours prior to exercise may significantly improve endurance exercise performance.
The effects of tart cherry juice might be limited to well-trained athletes, however. One 2019 study inNutrientssuggests that men who are not trained in resistance exercise did not reap the same benefits in muscle recovery that other studies have shown with people who are trained.
Relief from Gout
Tart cherry capsules may benefit, too. A 2021 study inPlant Foods for Human Nutritionsuggests that ingesting tart cherry, either in juice or powdered capsule form, helps to lower uric acid for up to eight hours after taking it.
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Pictured recipe:Cherry, Wild Rice & Quinoa Salad
Lower Blood Pressure
Deemed the “silent killer,” high blood pressure increases your risk of suffering from a heart attack or stroke. Many of the earlier studies on tart cherry juice looked at its effects on blood pressure, suggesting tart cherry juice may reduce systolic blood pressure. Many recent studies, however, including a 2021 study published inNutrients, did not see an effect of tart cherry juice on blood pressure. So, while the research remains inconclusive, the researchers in the above study noted that tart cherry juice is safe and well-tolerated.
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Calms Inflammation
Research, including a 2019 study inNutrients, explains that the mechanism behind tart cherry juice’s blood pressure and LDL cholesterol-lowering effects might be due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties. And as previously mentioned, scientists believe thatinflammation is a culpritin many chronic conditions, including high blood pressure.
Where to Buy Tart Cherry Juice
Tart cherry juice can be found online and in most grocery stores in either the health-food aisle or with other juices and beverages. Check the label tomake sure there are no added sugarsand that it’s 100% tart cherry juice. The same goes for dried tart cherries, which may have added sugar, as well. Whole tart cherries can usually be found in the freezer section, or fresh in the produce section for a short time while they’re in season (June in warmer areas or July or August in colder climates).
It’s important to remember that too much of a good thing is still too much. Tart cherry juice is no exception. When consumed in larger amounts, it can cause abdominal discomfort and diarrhea. This is especially true for those who have to watch their FODMAPs, since cherries contain sorbitol.
Because tart cherry juice has shown promise in reducing blood pressure, it’s probably wise to talk to your healthcare practitionerif you’re on blood pressure medicationbefore taking tart cherry juice. You want your blood pressure to be in a healthy range, but going too low can cause problems of its own.
Overall, though, tart cherry juice does not appear to pose any risk of interacting negatively with medications or certain conditions.
Bottom Line
Research on tart cherry juice is still emerging and the jury is out on its effectiveness for improving certain conditions. But like the whole fruit, tart cherry juice will give you a nice boost of nutrients (minus the fiber) and antioxidants. And who knows—you might also find you glean some noticeable health benefits from it, too.
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