For the runners who did not drink the tart cherry juice, 50 percent suffered from upper respiratory tract symptoms (URTS). Post-race sniffles are a common problem among endurance athletes. The study found that Montmorency tart cherry juice reduced upper respiratory tract symptoms associated with marathon running in study participants. The study appears in International Society of Sports Nutrition Journal.
The team, led by Glyn Howatson at Northumbria University and Lygeri Dimitriou at Middlesex University, found that marathon runners, who consumed the tart cherry juice had lower markers for inflammation than a placebo group at 24 and 48 hours post-marathon and had no reported incidences of (URTS) up to 48 hours after the race.
The authors conclude that the results of this pilot study offer an important new opportunity for research, building on the existing body of evidence providing support for the use of Montmorency tart cherry juice in exercise recovery. They suggest future work should examine the prevalence of URTS beyond 48 hours post-marathon.
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