Cherry Juice May Prevent Muscle Damage Pain

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Cherry Juice May Prevent Muscle Damage Pain

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=45846

The familiar " no pain, no gain " phrase usually associated with

exercise may be a thing of the past if results from a study on cherry

juice published June 21 in the online version of the British Journal

of Sports Medicine prove true in future research.

Historically, a number of approaches to prevent exercise-induced

muscle pain and damage have been examined, but few have been

effective. Connolly, associate professor of education and

director of the human performance laboratory at the University of

Vermont and colleagues at New York's Institute of Sports

Medicine and Athletic Trauma and Cornell University, evaluated the

efficacy of a fresh, highly-concentrated, specially- processed tart

cherry juice blend in preventing the symptoms of muscle damage in a

randomized, placebo-controlled study in 14 male college students.

" The anti-inflammatory properties of cherry juice have been examined

before, but the focus of this research was on a new area - muscle

damage repair, " said Connolly. " Only two species of mammals suffer

this type of muscle damage - horses and humans. "

The study participants were asked to either drink a bottle of the

cherry juice blend twice a day for three days before exercise and for

four days afterwards, or to drink a placebo juice containing no

cherries. The 12-ounce bottle of juice contained the liquid

equivalent of 50 to 60 tart cherries blended with commercially

available apple juice.

The participants performed a type of muscle-damaging exercise -

flexing and tensing one arm 20 times - that creates contractions in

which the muscle is lengthened. Muscle tenderness, motion, and

strength were assessed on each of the days before and after exercise,

using standard pieces of equipment designed for the purpose. Study

participants rated their muscle soreness on a scale of one to ten.

The whole process was repeated all over again two weeks later, with

those who had taken the placebo juice taking the cherry juice blend

instead, and vice versa. The other arm was also used.

There was a significant difference in the degree of muscle strength

loss between those drinking the cherry juice blend and those taking

the placebo juice. This fell by 22 percentage points in those

drinking the placebo juice, but only by four percentage points in

those drinking cherry juice. Muscle strength had slightly improved

after 96 hours in those drinking cherry juice. The degree of soreness

differed little between the two groups, but the average pain score

was significantly less in those drinking cherry juice. Average pain

scores came in at 3.2 for those drinking the placebo juice and 2.4

for those drinking cherry juice. Pain also peaked at 24 hours for

those drinking cherry juice, but continued to increase for those on

the placebo juice for the subsequent 48 hours.

According to Connolly, next steps include identifying funding sources

and collaborators to continue study of the cherry juice's

effectiveness in muscle damage repair and possibly arthritis, as well

as research involving race horses.

" Current anecdotal evidence suggests the drink may be effective in

treatment of arthritis and gout, and thus offer a potentially safer

alternative than prescription drugs, " said Connolly.