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. 2025 Jan 21;87(2):880-890.
doi: 10.1097/MS9.0000000000002914. eCollection 2025 Feb.

The effect of tart cherry juice (TCJ) supplementation on exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) in an athletic population

Elaheh Dehghani  1   2 , Mohammad Beba  1 , Khashayar Danandeh  2 , Amirhossein Memari  2 , Mohamad Javad Ershadmanesh  3 , Pegah Rasoulian  2 , Arshiya Danandeh  2 , Kurosh Djafarian  1
Affiliations

The effect of tart cherry juice (TCJ) supplementation on exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) in an athletic population

Elaheh Dehghani et al. Ann Med Surg (Lond). .

Abstract

Introduction: This systematic review and meta-analysis quantified the effect of tart cherry juice (TCJ) supplementation on exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD). Evidence supported TCJ's beneficial effects on muscular function and inflammatory biomarkers interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8.

Method: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched up to January 2024. Risk of bias was assessed using RevMan® software. Mean differences and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC), inflammatory markers, creatine kinase (CK), and visual analog scale (VAS) score were pooled using fixed- or random-effect models. Heterogeneity was assessed using Chi-square or I 2 statistics.

Results: Ten trials were included in the analysis. TCJ supplementation significantly improved MVIC [weighted mean difference (WMD) = 9.13%, 95% CI (6.42-11.84), I 2 = 62.3%] and decreased IL-6 [WMD = -0.4 pg/ml, 95% CI (-0.68 to -0.11), I 2 = 62.2%] and IL-8 [WMD = -0.3 pg/ml, 95% CI (-0.6 to -0.0), I 2 = 46.3%]. No significant changes were found in CK, C-reactive protein, IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, or VAS score. Dose-response analysis revealed a significant non-linear association between daily TCJ dose and MVIC effect size.

Conclusion: TCJ supplementation may improve muscle function and some inflammatory biomarkers in EIMD. Further high-quality studies with larger sample sizes are needed to determine TCJ's long-term effects.

Keywords: exercise-induced muscle damage; inflammatory biomarkers; maximal voluntary isometric contraction; meta-analysis; muscle function; tart cherry juice.

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Conflict of interest statement

We wish to confirm that there are no known conflicts of interest associated with this publication, and there has been no significant financial support for this work that could have influenced its outcome.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flow diagram of the selection process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(A) Risk of bias summary: review authors’ judgments about each risk of bias item for each included study. (B) Risk of bias graph: review authors’ judgments about each risk of bias item presented as percentages across all included studies.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Forest plot of the effect of tart cherry juice supplementation on MVIC in the intervention group compared to the placebo. MVIC, maximal isometric voluntary contraction.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Forest plot of the effect of tart cherry juice supplementation on IL-6 in the intervention group compared to the placebo. IL, interleukin. (dose 1: p = 0.07 and dose 2: p = 0.07). (dose 1: p = 0.052 and dose 2: p = 0.052).
Fig. 5.
Fig. 5.
Forest plot of the effect of tart cherry juice supplementation on IL-8 in the intervention group compared to the placebo. IL, interleukin. Dose-response = 1.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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