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This fruit’s antioxidant power is explosive

Tart cherries contain several antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients that may benefit exercise recovery. A study presented at the 2006 American College of Sports Medicine meeting looked at the effects of a commercial tart cherry sports drink on exercise-induced muscle damage.
Fourteen male college students drank either 16 ounces of cherry juice or a placebo twice daily for eight consecutive days. On the fourth day the subjects did a bout of eccentric, or negative, biceps curls, which produce the most extensive muscle damage. Levels of muscle strength, pain and tenderness were recorded before and four days after the exercise session. The subjects did the same exercise regimen two weeks later, with one group drinking cherry juice and the other a placebo.
The cherry juice group lost less strength than the placebo group. The strength loss after four days averaged 24 percent with the placebo but only 5 percent with the cherry juice. The authors contend that’s because cherry juice is a potent source of numerous antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients that aid muscle recovery following intense exercise.

Cote, K., et al. (2006). The efficacy of cherry juice supplementation in preventing the symptoms of exercise-induced muscle damage. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 38:S404.