A new study from Northumbria University indicates that runners who drank cherry juice experienced a faster recovery than athletes who downed a placebo.

The study centered around runners in the London Marathon, 20 of whom drank either a tart cherry blend juice made from Montmorency cherries or a placebo twice daily for five days before they ran the race. After the race they continued the twice-a-day juice or placebo habit for two additional days.

According to Dr. Glyn Howaston, exercise physiologist and Laboratory Director in the School of Psychology and Sports Sciences at Northumbria University, the cherry juice consumers recovered their strength more rapidly than the placebo group over the 48 hours following the marathon.

The cherry juice drinkers also experience less inflammation and oxidative stress, a potentially damaging response to vigorous or strenuous exercise. Overall, a little cherry juice appears to go a long way toward muscle function recovery after endurance exercise.

What makes Montmorency cherries so beneficial? Dr. Howatson says it’s the phytochemicals. “In particular, anthocyanins found in Montmorency cherries have anti-inflammatory and antioxidating properties.”

Dr. Howatson believes his cherry findings, which appeared in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, may extend to help other people, such as those who have inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia.

“People are increasingly looking at natural remedies, or nutraceuticals, to treat their conditions,” he says, “and scientific studies, such as the research into tart cherries, examine the potentially untapped treatment held in natural resources.”

So whether you run a marathon or a 10K or you just run to catch a bus, the anti-inflammatory and antioxidating benefits of cherries seem to be getting more and more support for their health benefits.  JoMo by the way has an ORAC value of 32,619 and provides concentrated servings of black cherry and pomegranate juice antioxidants for inflammation management.  You can read more on Diet, Arthritis and Joint Pain here, and more on the natural ingredients (including ultra concentrated black cherry) in JoMo here.