Tart Cherry, A Weapon against Muscle Pain

The natural substances in tart cherry that fight inflammation also seem to effectively ease muscle pain. A study at the Oregon Health & Science University showed that people who jog long distances can have their training pain reduced by drinking tart cherry juice.

In this test, which involved sixty people between the ages of 18 and 50, runners who drank 10.5 ounces of cherry juice a day for a week before performing a long distance race experienced much less pain afterwards than other athletes. On a self-reported pain scale of 0 to 10, the juice drinkers averaged two points lower.

The Oregon researchers believe cherries’ pain-fighting powers are connected to the fruit’s anti-inflammatory antioxidants called anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are the pigments that endow the cherries with their red color.

The Oregon scientists also point out that cherries have significant advantages over more conventional pain-alleviation techniques.

As researchers continue to delve into how certain substances fight inflammation, they are finding that whole foods like tart cherries produce a whole lot of health benefits.