Verdict: A reasonable option around races or hard training blocks for faster strength recovery, with only a small and uncertain endurance benefit
Safety: Generally safe as a food, but juice adds sugar and calories, and capsules vary in quality
Key takeaways
Tart cherry concentrate gave a small pooled improvement in endurance performance across 10 small trials, mostly in men
The stronger evidence is for recovery, with faster return of muscle strength and less soreness after strenuous exercise
Use it around key races or hard blocks rather than every day, since the effects on long-term training adaptation are not well studied
Tart cherry juice is a staple in many runners' fridges after a marathon. Unlike a lot of recovery products, it has a reasonable body of research behind it. The evidence is better for recovery than for performance, and it does nothing for VO2max itself.
What it is
Tart (sour) cherries, mostly the Montmorency variety, are rich in polyphenols, especially anthocyanins, which give them their deep red colour. These compounds have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity in laboratory studies. Supplements come as juice, concentrated juice to dilute, freeze-dried powder and capsules. Most research used Montmorency juice or concentrate, so results may not apply to every product.
Does it raise VO2max?
No. There is no evidence that tart cherry changes VO2max. VO2max depends mainly on how much blood your heart can pump and the oxygen it carries (see what limits VO2max). Any effect of tart cherry is on how quickly you bounce back, and perhaps on how well you sustain an effort, not on that oxygen ceiling.
Does it improve endurance performance?
Performance: Gao and Chilibeck (Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2020) pooled 10 randomised controlled trials with 147 participants. Tart cherry concentrate, taken from 7 days to 1.5 hours before testing, improved endurance performance with a small effect size (standardised mean difference 0.36). Most participants were men (127 of 147), and the trials were small, so the estimate is imprecise. The authors suggested the benefit might come from anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, better blood flow or the juice's low glycaemic index, but none of these has been confirmed. This is a small, real-looking signal, not a game changer. For comparison, caffeine has much more consistent evidence.
Recovery: this is where tart cherry looks strongest. In the classic study by Howatson and colleagues (2010), 20 recreational marathon runners drank cherry juice or a placebo for 5 days before, on the day of and for 48 hours after a marathon. Muscle strength recovered significantly faster with cherry juice, and markers of inflammation (IL-6, CRP and uric acid) were lower. Most markers of muscle damage did not differ.
A meta-analysis of 14 studies (Hill et al., 2021) found tart cherry had a small benefit for muscle soreness and moderate benefits for recovery of strength and power, including jump height. There was no significant effect on creatine kinase, a common blood marker of muscle damage. A 2026 meta-analysis of 19 trials in athletes (Daab et al.) reached a similar but more cautious conclusion: improved strength recovery and lower CRP, but high heterogeneity and low-to-moderate certainty of evidence.
How it is used in studies
- Form: Montmorency juice, diluted concentrate or powdered concentrate.
- Timing: usually started several days before a race or damaging session, then continued for two to three days after. The marathon study used 5 days before and 2 days after.
- Doses: varied between studies, which makes it hard to define an optimal amount. Follow the product label rather than chasing extra servings.
Side effects, safety and anti-doping
Tart cherry is a food and is generally well tolerated. Juice adds sugar and calories, which matters if you have diabetes or are managing weight. Capsules and powders vary widely in polyphenol content, and supplement quality is not tightly regulated. If you have a medical condition or take medication, talk to your doctor before taking concentrated extracts. Tart cherry is not banned, but athletes who compete should still choose third-party tested products to avoid contamination. This page is not medical advice.
One open question is whether blunting inflammation every day could interfere with long-term training adaptations, as has been suggested for high-dose antioxidants and for routine cold water immersion (see cold plunge: recovery vs adaptation). This has not been well tested for tart cherry, so many practitioners keep it for races and congested competition periods.
Who might benefit
- Runners and triathletes in the days around a marathon or other very damaging event.
- Athletes with several hard sessions or matches in a short period, where faster strength recovery matters.
- People who prefer a food-based option and do not mind the taste or the sugar.
It will not replace sleep, enough food and sensible training load. Those remain the biggest recovery levers (see resting heart rate, HRV and recovery and VO2max and sleep).
Bottom line
Tart cherry juice has better evidence than most recovery products. It may help strength come back faster after hard races and slightly reduce soreness, with a small and less certain benefit for endurance performance. It does not raise VO2max. Use it strategically around key events, and compare other options on the supplements page.
Frequently asked questions
Does tart cherry juice help recovery?
Meta-analyses suggest it helps strength and power come back faster and slightly reduces soreness after hard exercise, such as a marathon. Effects on blood markers of muscle damage are inconsistent.
Does tart cherry juice improve endurance?
A 2020 meta-analysis of 10 trials found a small benefit for endurance performance. The effect is modest and smaller than that of caffeine.
When should I drink tart cherry juice for running?
Studies typically start several days before a race or hard session and continue for two to three days after. It is not a pre-run energy drink.
Are there side effects of tart cherry juice?
It is a fruit product and generally safe, but the juice contains sugar and calories. If you have diabetes or kidney disease or take regular medication, check with your doctor first.
Sources
- Gao R, Chilibeck PD. Effect of tart cherry concentrate on endurance exercise performance: a meta-analysis. J Am Coll Nutr. 2020;39(7):657–664. doi:10.1080/07315724.2020.1713246
- Howatson G, et al. Influence of tart cherry juice on indices of recovery following marathon running. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2010;20(6):843–852. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0838.2009.01005.x
- Hill JA, Keane KM, Quinlan R, Howatson G. Tart cherry supplementation and recovery from strenuous exercise: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2021;31(2):154–167. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.2020-0145
- Daab W, et al. Effects of tart cherry juice supplementation on recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage in athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Med Open. 2026;12:40. doi:10.1186/s40798-026-00993-3