A new study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests drinking cherry juice can reduce muscle pain caused by exercise. Participants in the study who drank cherry juice experienced a smaller amount of strength loss and reported experiencing a lessor amount of pain.

There are caveats to the study, however. First, the study was sponsored by Cherrypharm, who just happens to make a tart cherry juice marketed towards athletes. Secondly, the study group was small with just 14 men.

We would not be quick to dimiss the benefits of drinking cherry juice however. Cherries are high in antioxidants (although blueberries are even richer in antioxidants). The National Cherry Cherry Growers & Industries Foundation claims that eating 20 tart cherries a day could reduce inflamation and pain. Nutra, which has a great article on this study, says the Journal of Nutrition previously published a study showing that cherries could reduce circulating concerntrations of inflammatory markers.

While we still would not rush out to buy cherry juice, eating cherries on a daily basis will have a generally positive impact on health. In general, more fruit and vegatables are better and most Americans do not consume enough fresh produce. Plus on a hot summer day, chilled cherries taste quite good.