Sports Study Links Cherries to Muscle Recovery
The antioxidant content in cherries could alleviate oxidative damage done to muscles during exercise.
Cherries may improve muscle recovery in athletes, according to research published in the American College of Sports Medicine’s journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
Researchers at London South Bank University’s Sports and Exercise Science Research Center assigned 10 male athletes to consume one ounce of a Montmorency cherry juice concentrate or a non-cherry fruit juice concentrate of equal energy intake seven days prior and 48 hours after exercise bouts. Exercises consisted of two trials (separated by two weeks) of 10 sets of knee extensions.
The cherry concentrate was supplied by CherryActive (Sunbury, Middx, UK), which funded the study.
After compiling data, it was determined cherry juice consumption was associated with a 90% return to normal muscle force at 24 hours compared to just 85% from the other fruit juice.
Scientists concluded that the antioxidant content of cherries may have taken care of oxidative damage caused to the muscles during exercise.
