The exact amount of tart cherry juice you need to consume to reap these benefits and the best time of day for drinking it is still up for debate.
“There is a range of tart cherry juice used for different populations for various indications, so it’s difficult to give a defined quantity to experience health benefits, particularly since there is so much variety among the different juices and even individual needs,” explains Minich. “In general, the research supports relatively small amounts (30-60 mL) of juice or concentrate within hours or days of exercise, although two 8-ounce (237 mL) servings per day have also been recommended.”
For athletic populations, eight to 12 ounces of tart cherry juice (one ounce of concentrate)7 consumed twice daily at least four days before, the day of, and two days after an event or competition may be beneficial. But further research needs to be carried out to recommend an optimal dose.
When it comes to the form of tart cherry, more research needs to be done to investigate the effect of concentrated versus non-concentrate cherry juice and the efficiency of liquid versus powdered cherry juice.
“A tart cherry juice tends to contain more sugar than a powdered format. Additionally, supplemental powders are often standardized to specific compounds, so you are getting known amounts of actives,” says Minich. “With juice, there may be more variability of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients based on the crop, the processing method, and even the storage method (e.g., packaging in transparent glass bottles that may result in the oxidation of compounds by the light over time).”
Huma Chaudhry, RD, LDN, a clinical nutrition expert and dietitian, adds that an extract can provide a more concentrated form of nutrients that can be used as a supplement to target specific health concerns.
