Tart Cherry Juice: No Effect on Muscle Function Loss or Muscle Soreness in Professional Soccer Players After a Match

Purpose: To investigate the effects of tart cherry juice (TCJ) on recovery from a soccer match in professional players.

Methods: In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design, 10 male professional soccer players from the reserve team of an English Premier League Club (age 19 [1] y, height 1.8 [0.6] m, body mass 77.3 [6.4] kg) consumed 2 × 30-mL servings of TCJ or an isocaloric cherry-flavored control drink (CON) before and after a 90-minute match and 12 and 36 hours after the match. Muscle function (countermovement jump height and reactive strength index), subjective well-being, and subjective muscle soreness were measured before and 12, 36, and 60 hours after each match.

Results: Countermovement jump height was similarly reduced in the days after the match after TCJ and CON supplementation, with the greatest loss occurring at 12-hour postmatch (-5.9% [3.1%] vs -5.4% [2.9%], of baseline values, respectively; P = .966; ηp2=.010). Decrements in reactive strength index were also greatest at 12-hour postmatch (TCJ -9.4% [8.4%] vs CON -13.9% [4.8%], of baseline values), but no group differences were observed at any time point (P = .097; ηp2=.205). Muscle soreness increased 12- to 60-hour postmatch in both groups, peaking at 12-hour postmatch (TCJ 122 [27] mm vs CON 119 [22] mm), but no group differences were observed (P = .808; ηp2=.024). No interaction effects were observed for subjective well-being (P = .874; ηp2=.025).

Conclusions: TCJ did not hasten recovery after a soccer match in professional players. These findings bring into question the use of TCJ as a recovery aid in professional soccer players.