Tart cherry and recovery scoping review (Front Nutr 2026)

Scoping review of Montmorency tart cherry consumption for athletic performance and post-exercise recovery in healthy adults. It finds a moderate benefit for the recovery of muscle strength and power after strenuous exercise, a smaller and less consistent effect on muscle soreness, and more variable performance effects. The benefit is attributed to anthocyanin antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action, the same mechanism behind the adaptation-blunting concern for high-dose antioxidants. Moderate for strength/power recovery, limited for soreness.