Should you be using tart cherry juice for recovery, or is a sports drink enough?

We get asked a lot about ergogenic supplements that help with performance and recovery, so we were excited to share the results of a recent study that looked at whether supplementing with tart cherry juice or a sports drink had similar effects on performance on a cycling time trial and exercise recovery.

What was the Study like?

In this 6-day randomized crossover trial, researchers looked at the effects of 12 recreational cyclists (eight men and four women) taking tart cherry juice daily versus a sports drink on time trial performance, blood lactate, rate of perceived exertion, oxygen cost of exercise, respiratory exchange ratio, blood pressure, muscle soreness, maximal voluntary contraction of the quads, and overall fatigue.

During the study, participants drank 300ml of tart cherry juice with a glycemic index of 45 per day OR a sports drink, with a glycemic index of 89, for four days before and two days after the time trial test. There was a period of one month that separated the two conditions.

The Cyclist Tests

In the first test, cyclists spent 90 minutes at 65% of VO₂peak. In the second, they completed a 10k time trial. Before each test, the participants had 1 gram of carbs per kilogram of weight of their assigned drink. Each cyclist also kept food and exercise logs during the study and were asked to keep consistent habits when going into the other condition.

After the first test, scientists measured blood lactate, respirator exchange ratio, the oxygen cost, and rate of perceived exertion. Soreness, maximal voluntary contraction and fatigue were measured after the cyclist test, as well as 24 hours and 48 hours later. Blood pressure was also taken.

So, should you be using tart cherry juice for recovery?

Researchers found that cyclists who consumed tart cherry juice OR a sports drink had similar outcomes on performance during the cycling time trial and in their recovery.

Our hot take is that it’s important to get in calories, carbs and recovery fuel before/during/after any big effort for increased performance and better recovery!

Read more about tart cherry:

• Read the full study here
• Read more about the benefits of tart cherry juice for sleep